To explore the Tarot is to explore ourselves, to be reminded of the universality of our longing for meaning, for purpose and for a connection to the divine. This 600-year-old tradition reflects not only a history of seekers, but our journey of artistic expression and the ways we communicate our collective human story.
For many in the West, Tarot exists in the shadow place of our cultural consciousness, a metaphysical tradition assigned to the dusty glass cabinets of the arcane. Its history, long and obscure, has been passed down through secret writing, oral tradition, and the scholarly tomes of philosophers and sages. Hundreds of years and hundreds of creative hands—mystics and artists often working in collaboration—have transformed what was essentially a parlor game into a source of divination and system of self-exploration, as each new generation has sought to evolve the form and reinterpret the medium.
Author Jessica Hundley traces this fascinating history in Tarot, the debut volume in TASCHEN’s Library of Esoterica series. The book explores the symbolic meaning behind more than 500 cards and works of original art, two thirds of which have never been published outside of the decks themselves. It’s the first ever visual compendium of its kind, spanning from Medieval to modern, and artfully arranged according to the sequencing of the 78 cards of the Major and Minor Arcana. It explores the powerful influence of Tarot as muse to artists like Salvador Dalí and Niki de Saint Phalle and includes the decks of nearly 100 diverse contemporary artists from around the world, all of whom have embraced the medium for its capacity to push cultural identity forward. Rounding out the volume are excerpts from thinkers such as Éliphas Lévi, Carl Jung, and Joseph Campbell; a foreword by artist Penny Slinger; a guide to reading the cards by Johannes Fiebig; and an essay on oracle decks by Marcella Kroll.
About the series
The Library of Esoterica explores how centuries of artists have given form to mysticism, translating the arcane and the obscure into enduring, visionary works of art. Each subject is showcased through both modern and archival imagery culled from private collectors, libraries, and museums around the globe. The result forms an inclusive visual history, a study of our primal pull to dream and nightmare, and the creative ways we strive to connect to the divine.
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24 reviews for Tarot: The Library of Esoterica
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Emilia Lehtinen –
Guzel
Sonee Singh –
The artwork is and quality is seriously what made me buy these, once i bought one i had to get all of them, well.made and the art is absolutely gorgeous, i highly recommend!!
amplifiedwattage –
Beautiful book- bought as a gift and she loved it. High quality pictures, great reference material.
The Soul Coach –
Entrega rápida, buen embalaje y empaque, producto nuevo, original, sellado, sin daño alguno, libro con mucha información releveante y puntial sobre el tarot, recomendado…
amplifiedwattage –
Beautiful art book
jessica –
Una raccolta interessante, le immagini sono straordinarie e affronta l’argomento regalando concetti rivisitati e aggiornati. Un testo che ogni collezionista amerà avere in casa.
Consiglio questa lettura leggera a chiunque desideri una infarinatura generale.
Heather –
How can Taschen allow to publish a book with a font that is unreadable?! Nice picture book but random choices of images, not curated as it should.
ahmet turp –
Jessica Hundley’s Tarot is a worthy spiritual successor to Stewart Kaplan’s Encyclopedia of Tarot. The book is full of beautiful, clear pictures of a wide variety of Tarot decks, interspersed with essays on card meanings, divination, and Tarot as inspiration for art. The book also features essays from Penny Slinger, Johannes Fiebig, and Marcella Kroll.
The Tarot illustrations in the book cover the whole range from very traditional decks like Rider-Waite-Smith deck and the Brotherhood of Light Tarot, all the way to much more avant-garde decks like Margarete Petersen Tarot and the Deviant Moon Tarot. Some of my personal favourites are included too, such as the Aquarian Tarot and the Star Tarot. All of the images are clearly reproduced and look great. The colours are very true (at least for the decks I have in my collection). The images are printed life-sized or larger (in general) on matte paper, which is the only possible drawback, but I don’t mind since this makes the book easier to read in my opinion.
As beautiful as the images are, don’t skip over the words. Hundley’s essays on the cards, especially the Major Arcana, are excellent. I also particularly enjoyed the thumbnail sketches of important Tarot artists and scholars in Part III, although I do wish it hadn’t ended with Manly P. Hall but rather included some of the more modern Tarot scholars like Mary K. Greer and Barbara Walker.
This is a book worthy of a place on any Tarot lover’s bookshelf. The illustrations are stunning and the essays are top notch.
daniemesis –
I like that the book explains the history of Tarot and goes into the meaning of each card. What I like most are the images, which are examples from different decks for each card.
Antonia G. Carey –
Got as a gift and recipient loved it. Taschen books are super high quality with gorgeous (and yeah some creepy – depending on subject matter) illustrations but it was a hit as a gift.
Lazarus –
Taschen makes everything full of beauty
Fabio –
This part of the Esoterica series is as exciting and high-quality as the other ones. Such a pleasure to see and read.
Natalia –
Hermoso libro, llegó en perfecto estado.
Carol in Michigan –
I stumbled across this looking for a birthday gift for a dear friend who reads tarot semi-professionally. I resisted the temptation to buy her a deck; that’s a very personal choice for a reader, and not mine to make for her. (She absolutely agrees with this sentiment, btw.)
The book is a thorough history of the art of tarot cards. Displaying copious numbers of black and white and full color card images, this book covers card art from the 1400s to the present. The commentary is insightful and interesting, although my old eyes wish the typeface was not so small.
The paper stock is beautiful. The reproductions are high quality, sharp and clear. It has the appearance and feel of a coffee table book that should cost much more.
I gave it to my friend over breakfast at a diner. It was really interesting to watch her begin to devour this book. It clearly hit the mark. And once our waitress set eyes on it, she asked if she might look at it. She oohed and aahed and snapped a picture of the book so she could get one for herself.
I learned so much about tarot just from watching my friend leaf through the book. I think I’ll get one for myself, too!
Carol in Michigan –
I stumbled across this looking for a birthday gift for a dear friend who reads tarot semi-professionally. I resisted the temptation to buy her a deck; that’s a very personal choice for a reader, and not mine to make for her. (She absolutely agrees with this sentiment, btw.)
The book is a thorough history of the art of tarot cards. Displaying copious numbers of black and white and full color card images, this book covers card art from the 1400s to the present. The commentary is insightful and interesting, although my old eyes wish the typeface was not so small.
The paper stock is beautiful. The reproductions are high quality, sharp and clear. It has the appearance and feel of a coffee table book that should cost much more.
I gave it to my friend over breakfast at a diner. It was really interesting to watch her begin to devour this book. It clearly hit the mark. And once our waitress set eyes on it, she asked if she might look at it. She oohed and aahed and snapped a picture of the book so she could get one for herself.
I learned so much about tarot just from watching my friend leaf through the book. I think I’ll get one for myself, too!
CB –
I got this for a artist friend who wants to design their own Tarot deck. They love it. Gorgeous illustrations from the earliest decks to modern designs.
larry loebig –
Beautiful book informative and comprehensive. Print is a bit small and still readable. Illustrations are incredible.
SP –
This book is absolutely gorgeous, informative, and thought provoking. My favorite feature is the variety of Tarot deck art styles displayed for each card — Renaissance classics, trippy 70s, mystical 90s, and more.
amplifiedwattage –
This part of the Esoterica series is as exciting and high-quality as the other ones. Such a pleasure to see and read.
ANTONELLA de LEVIS MIREPOIX –
Kitabın dili İngilizce bunu ilk önce bilerek alın kesinlikle yüksek kaliteli cilt ve içindeki sayfalar her tarotla ilgilenen kişinin mutlaka kütüphanesinde bulunması gereken bir kitap içeriğinde tüm tarot kartlarının farklı yönlerden karşılaştırması ezoterik anlamları ve değişik kartların karşılaştırması bulunuyor çok iyi bilgiler alabilirsiniz amazon’dan almama rağmen 3 gün içinde elime ulaştı kolay gelsin kargoya da teşekkür ederim ve satıcıya da teşekkür ederim bu arada kitap ciltlenmiş ve jelatin içinde geldi biraz paketleme de zayıftı o kadar
Natalia –
Beautiful book- bought as a gift and she loved it. High quality pictures, great reference material.
Emilia Lehtinen –
Jessica Hundley’s Tarot is a worthy spiritual successor to Stewart Kaplan’s Encyclopedia of Tarot. The book is full of beautiful, clear pictures of a wide variety of Tarot decks, interspersed with essays on card meanings, divination, and Tarot as inspiration for art. The book also features essays from Penny Slinger, Johannes Fiebig, and Marcella Kroll.
The Tarot illustrations in the book cover the whole range from very traditional decks like Rider-Waite-Smith deck and the Brotherhood of Light Tarot, all the way to much more avant-garde decks like Margarete Petersen Tarot and the Deviant Moon Tarot. Some of my personal favourites are included too, such as the Aquarian Tarot and the Star Tarot. All of the images are clearly reproduced and look great. The colours are very true (at least for the decks I have in my collection). The images are printed life-sized or larger (in general) on matte paper, which is the only possible drawback, but I don’t mind since this makes the book easier to read in my opinion.
As beautiful as the images are, don’t skip over the words. Hundley’s essays on the cards, especially the Major Arcana, are excellent. I also particularly enjoyed the thumbnail sketches of important Tarot artists and scholars in Part III, although I do wish it hadn’t ended with Manly P. Hall but rather included some of the more modern Tarot scholars like Mary K. Greer and Barbara Walker.
This is a book worthy of a place on any Tarot lover’s bookshelf. The illustrations are stunning and the essays are top notch.
Lazarus –
Beautiful art book
amplifiedwattage –
wonderful book the magnificient pictures. Good quality