[Jeu de tarot]

Paris: Grimaud, 1890. Deck of 78 chromolithographed playing cards, each with a central vignette with text above and below, a black line border around the vignette and outer edge, and the card number in the upper left and lower right corners. Versos are alike with a repeating blue floral field. In excellent condition. Later printing of the first 78-card tarot deck specifically designed for cartomancy. Designed by Jean-Baptiste Alliette, who went by the anagram Etteilla, this deck first appeared in 1788 and remains the tarot standard today. Prior to its production, tarot decks varied widely, had fewer cards, and were not used to tell fortunes. Etteilla claimed that he learned about the 78-card method by reading the so-called "Book of Thoth," a book of magic purportedly belonging to the Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom and later known as Hermes Trismegistus. (Inventory #: 19640)