Exploring tarot is exploring ourselves, and it reminds us of the universal nature of the longing for meaning, purpose, and connection with the divine. This 600-year-old tradition reflects not only the history of divination but also our artistic journey and the ways humans express the story we share.

Seen from the West, tarot holds for many a place in the shadows of our shared cultural consciousness, constituting a metaphysical tradition that has its place in the dusty cabinets of the arcane. Its long and dark history has been passed down through secret texts, oral tradition, and scholarly tomes by sages and philosophers. Hundreds of years and creative hands (mystics and artists who often worked together) have transformed what was essentially a parlor game into a system of divination and self-knowledge, and in turn, each generation has sought to evolve the form and reinterpret the medium.

The author Jessica Hundley traces this fascinating history in Tarot, the first volume of the Library of Esotericism series by TASCHEN. The book explores the symbolic meaning of more than 500 cards and original artworks, over two-thirds of which have never been published except as part of the decks themselves. It is the first visual compendium of its kind, spanning from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era and organized according to the sequence of the major and minor arcana of the 78-card deck. It explores the powerful influence of tarot as a muse for artists such as Salvador Dalí and Niki de Saint Phalle, and includes decks by nearly 100 contemporary and diverse artists from around the world who have embraced this medium for its ability to drive cultural identity. The volume is completed with excerpts from texts by thinkers such as Éliphas Lévi, Carl Jung, and Joseph Campbell; a foreword by the artist Penny Slinger; a guide to card interpretation by Johannes Fiebig; and an essay on oracle decks by Marcella Kroll.