The Secrets of the Tarot: Origins, History and Symbolism
Illustrated Reference New Age Spirituality Tarot & Cartomancy Occult & Esotericism History of Playing Cards Jungian Psychology & Archetypes Goddess & Mythology Studies Antiquarian Collectible
The Secrets of the Tarot: Origins, History and Symbolism is the 1984 Harper & Row paperback that New Age collectors still hunt for on the vintage market. Barbara G. Walker—best-known for her Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets—applies the same scholarly rigor to the 78-card deck, tracing the tarot from medieval Italian courts through the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and into modern psychological practice. At 260 heavily illustrated pages, this compact textbook dissects every major and minor arcana symbol, color choice and numerical pattern, showing how each layer of imagery encodes folklore, goddess mythology and Jungian archetype. The result is a single-volume reference that satisfies historians, art lovers and working readers alike.
What makes this copy irresistible to buyers is its pristine, fully-readable condition: the binding is still tight, the internal pages are immaculate and free of underlining, and the only sign of age is a touch of foxing on the closed outer edges—typical for a 40-year-old paper original. Because Harper & Row’s first printing had a relatively small run and was never re-issued in this exact format, clean copies now trade as scarce antiquarian paperbacks. Walkers’s clear, engaging prose keeps the content approachable for young adults exploring divination while offering the depth professionals need for coursework or client work.
Owning this vintage edition means holding the earliest complete presentation of Walker’s research before later publishers trimmed illustrations or updated text. Whether you shelve it beside other metaphysical classics, use it to deepen personal readings, or display it as a well-preserved piece of 1980s occult publishing history, The Secrets of the Tarot remains one of the most cited, user-friendly and visually rich guides ever printed on the origins and symbolism of the cards.
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