The Pictorial Key to the Tarot

The Pictorial Key to the Tarot is a tarot guide by A. E. Waite and illustrations created by Pamela Colman Smith. Both Waite, the author of the deck, and Smith, the illustrator, were members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. While working on this book, Waite was very concerned with the accuracy of the symbols used for the deck. Therefore, he did much research into the traditions, interpretations, and history behind the cards. The book consists of three parts: The Veil and Its Symbols, The Doctrine of the Veil, The Outer Methods of the Oracles. The first part of the book presents an overview of the traditional symbols associated with each card, followed by a history of the Tarot. In the second chapter, Waite presents 78 black and white plates of Smith's illustrations for the Rider–Waite deck and discusses the unique symbols chosen for each card. The third part concerns the matter of divination with the cards. The book greatly influenced the development and popularization of the Tarot divination practices in Europe and the United States at the beginning of the 20th century.