Telling fortunes by cards

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

42008

Title

Telling fortunes by cards

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

A comprehensive guide to cartomancy, this book compiles ancient and modern fortune-telling methods used by Arab seers, sibyls, and Romany gypsies. It offers simple instructions for acquiring the art, detailed card interpretations, and entertaining games for predicting love, marriage, and future events.

Summary up to 500 words

Telling Fortunes by Cards, authored by Mohammed Ali and edited by Carleton B. Case, stands as a comprehensive symposium on cartomancy, blending historical lore with practical instruction for the modern reader. The text establishes the serious historical roots of divination, citing the remarkable predictions made for Empress Josephine by a distinguished seeress. This historical anecdote illustrates the art's capacity to elucidate the past, present, and future, a capability that ancient prophets and sibyls utilized as a solemn business rather than mere amusement. The work transitions from this historical context to a collection of methods attributed to Romany gypsies and ancient seeresses, presenting a complete symposium of approved techniques for the reader to choose from. A significant portion of the text is dedicated to the mechanics of the practice. The author explains how to prepare a standard deck, advising readers to mark specific cards—such as face cards and certain spot cards—to distinguish upright from reversed positions, which alters their meanings. The book offers a detailed dictionary defining the fifty-two cards, providing distinct interpretations for upright and reversed positions across suits like clubs, hearts, diamonds, and spades. These definitions cover a vast array of themes, ranging from wealth and love to sickness, death, legal matters, and even specific professions. For instance, the Ace of Spades signifies legal documents or ships when upright, but pregnancy or death when reversed. The Nine of Spades is identified as the most unfortunate card, portending maladies and disappointment. The text explores various layout methods, including the Ancient Oracle and several modern techniques labeled A through M. It includes specific sections on predicting wishes, matrimonial outcomes, and the past, present, and future. The latter half of the work shifts to entertaining 'curious games' such as Lovers' Hearts, Love's Lottery, and Wedding Bells. These games use card draws to predict marriage prospects and fortune, such as determining who will marry first among a group of women or identifying a future husband among suitors. Throughout, the text maintains a tone that balances the fascination of the supernatural with a pragmatic approach. The author notes that proficiency comes from study and practice rather than innate gift, urging would-be adepts to memorize meanings and acquire fluency in the 'patter' of a successful reading. The work concludes with advice on dealing cards and interpreting combinations, aiming to empower readers to master the art for either amusement or serious inquiry.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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data/epubs/pg42008.epub

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2026-07-08 06:00 UTC

Categories

• Fortune-Telling
• Card games