Author Description

The Hearts, Spades, Clubs and Diamonds in the 52-card deck are the most well-known symbols on Earth. They are familiar to everyone, across all seven continents. But how well do we know them? Where do these familiar shapes come from and why, in a world where everything is transformed, have they endured for centuries without the slightest change? After making a startling discovery, Howard Crowhurst set out with Guilhem Morera to investigate the origins and the people behind this global success story. Along the way, their purpose changed as a mysterious world gradually opened up to them. They discovered that behind the cards' playful facade lies a deeper meaning that seems to go back to the dawn of time. This organisation of shapes, suits, colours and numbers includes the trinity of Jack / Queen / King, the decimal system and the infamous number 13. It reveals the foundations of an ancient knowledge, as simple as it is rich, in which even the bases of music and astronomy can be found. The cards form a small book of 52 pages written in a universal language; 52 pages that can be read in any order, but whose true meaning has yet to be revealed.