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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Heather –
Très bel ouvrage!!! Magnifique!!
Malheureusement la reliure a été endommagée pendant le transport.
Des livres de ce poids devraient être mieux emballés et protégés.
jeanne marie –
I’m a book collector, but with so many books I’m very selective. This book is absolutely beautiful and informative also. It’s a big book. Tarot cards/decks have become an art. Their illustrators are artists. I will enjoy looking at this book again and again.
jessica –
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!!
Amoure –
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.
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!
Vicki Miko –
Talk about super-fast shipping! This book also came extremely well-packaged. This book is way thicker than anticipated. At first, I thought it was two books but in reality was only one. Super excited to do a deep dive into learning tarot. Thank you, seller!
Fabio –
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.
David Heumann –
For anyone who has a passion for tarot, snippets of tarot’s history, along with an eclectic mix of many gorgeous fine art tarot cards, you will love this book.
K&B Birbeck –
This is the most beautiful book for Tarot Card collector, readers, or anyone that appreciates the art of Tarot. I love it! A must own for any collector.
Client d’Amazon –
Great gift pleased came well wrapped
David Heumann –
Got this as a gift, so took the photos I could to provide realistic context as to it’s size & presentation. Also, the wrapping saved it from serious humidity damage bc it came in the same box as another book that did not have a plastic wrap or any protection. It’s the little things, but you just feel how This high-quality this book & publisher are.
Lazarus –
Beautiful book- bought as a gift and she loved it. High quality pictures, great reference material.
David Heumann –
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.
Julia Martin –
Guzel
jessica –
I’m a book collector, but with so many books I’m very selective. This book is absolutely beautiful and informative also. It’s a big book. Tarot cards/decks have become an art. Their illustrators are artists. I will enjoy looking at this book again and again.
Client d’Amazon –
The quality of the print and paper in this book is truly top-notch! The pages feel luxurious to the touch, and the crisp, clear print made the reading experience a real pleasure. I found myself not just reading but also enjoying the sheer beauty of the book itself. It’s a joy to hold and browse through. Highly recommended for anyone who values both great content and exceptional book quality!!! ❤️
David Heumann –
This is a beautiful book, both the outer binding and the huge amount of illustrations within.
I’ve only received this book today but it promises many hours of happy reading and also studying the hundreds of illustrations of Tarot cards from many centuries.
It begins with a brief timescale of the development of Tarot and the card packs dating back to 1370 and it then gives the symbology and attributes of each card with several pages of different examples of each. Then there is a fuller history of Tarot with many additional chapters of different aspects of Tarot. There’s so much more that I could say about this book but I have a feeling it’s going to be my most loved book on the subject and I’m going back to it now.
jeanne marie –
This is the most beautiful book for Tarot Card collector, readers, or anyone that appreciates the art of Tarot. I love it! A must own for any collector.
Julia Martin –
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.
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.
ahmet turp –
Très bel ouvrage!!! Magnifique!!
Malheureusement la reliure a été endommagée pendant le transport.
Des livres de ce poids devraient être mieux emballés et protégés.
Julia Martin –
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.
Fabio –
Guzel
amplifiedwattage –
Beautiful art book
Sonee Singh –
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.
amplifiedwattage –
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!!
K&B Birbeck –
Got this as a gift, so took the photos I could to provide realistic context as to it’s size & presentation. Also, the wrapping saved it from serious humidity damage bc it came in the same box as another book that did not have a plastic wrap or any protection. It’s the little things, but you just feel how This high-quality this book & publisher are.
Fabio –
This is a beautiful book, both the outer binding and the huge amount of illustrations within.
I’ve only received this book today but it promises many hours of happy reading and also studying the hundreds of illustrations of Tarot cards from many centuries.
It begins with a brief timescale of the development of Tarot and the card packs dating back to 1370 and it then gives the symbology and attributes of each card with several pages of different examples of each. Then there is a fuller history of Tarot with many additional chapters of different aspects of Tarot. There’s so much more that I could say about this book but I have a feeling it’s going to be my most loved book on the subject and I’m going back to it now.
Julia Martin –
Très bel ouvrage!!! Magnifique!!
Malheureusement la reliure a été endommagée pendant le transport.
Des livres de ce poids devraient être mieux emballés et protégés.