The book of Thoth (1944)
The book of Thoth is a 1944 tarot book written by Aleister Crowley.
Aleister Crowley wrote this companion to the Thoth Tarot, the deck he designed with painter Lady Frieda Harris over five years of close collaboration. Each card earns an essay drawing on Egyptian myth, Kabbalah, astrology, and the ceremonial magic of the Golden Dawn tradition Crowley trained in. He treats the tarot as a map of Western esoteric symbolism rather than a fortune-telling parlor trick, tracing correspondences between the trumps, the Hebrew alphabet, and the planets. Dense, allusive, and unapologetically difficult, it stayed in print as a foundational reference for students of his Thelemic system and the wider occult.
Quick answers
What is The book of Thoth about?
Aleister Crowley wrote this companion to the Thoth Tarot, the deck he designed with painter Lady Frieda Harris over five years of close collaboration. Each card earns an essay drawing on Egyptian myth, Kabbalah, astrology, and the ceremonial magic of the Golden Dawn tradition Crowley trained in. He treats the tarot as a map of Western esoteric symbolism rather than a fortune-telling parlor trick, tracing correspondences between the trumps, the Hebrew alphabet, and the planets. Dense, allusive, and unapologetically difficult, it stayed in print as a foundational reference for students of his Thelemic system and the wider occult.
When was The book of Thoth published?
The book of Thoth was published in 1944.
Who made The book of Thoth?
The book of Thoth was written by Aleister Crowley.
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A few thoughts on The book of Thoth
The clearest fictional echo of Aleister Crowley's symbolism is Alan Moore's comic Promethea, built openly on Kabbalah and a card-by-card tour of the tarot trumps. For the darker mood of a scholar chasing a dangerous occult book, Roman Polanski's film The Ninth Gate carries the same air of forbidden study.