Unlike tarot, cartomancy usually uses 52 (or 54 if you use the 2 The Joker cards, which is optional) playing cards as opposed to the 78 tarot cards. It doesn’t consist of the major arcana or all ...

In the French city of Marseilles, more efficient printing techniques standardized and popularized the game, so that by the 18th century, all decks contained 78 cards in four suits: coins, clubs ...

Published in 1910, the 78 cards of the “Waite-Smith” deck have become synonymous with tarot. A new book delves into their history, importance and popularity.