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Title: Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley, Frieda Harris ISBN: 0-87728-268-4 Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser Pub. Date: August, 1986 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.48 (23 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Tarot, not for divination
Comment: Okay, first is a forewarning: those of you looking for a text on the tarot to use for the purposes of divination, this isn't it. Crowley's essay is an Initiated interpretation, which means the deck is meant to be used for the purposes of mysticism, not practical magick.
That said, this is still an excellent book. The drawings are perhaps the most beautiful I have ever seen in ANY deck. There is more detail in here than can be found in most other texts. The cosmology is very complete. However, in typical Crowley Class B style, all he does is give you the outline of the point--you have to supply your own information in some cases. This, to those not familiar with Cabala and the Hermetic Tradition, can be extraordinarily confusing.
There are some things here which I am sure will offend the person of average assosciation with the tarot. Namely, Crowley intentionally alters the attributions of a number of the cards. But, there is a purpose to this.
I'm not certain of the accuracy of the history of the tarot. I read one review which claimed it was innacurate--however, if you read the book, you realize that Crowley was working on only one theory, and at the same time it is entirely irrelevant WHERE it originated--as he states himself. The history is thoroughly inconsequential. As with most things regarding Crowley, literal truth is not important.
All said, this book (which is said to contain all of Crowley's knowledge) is certainly not for those looking for the tarot for the everyday purposes. The Atu are cosmological symbols in this case, and only that (even though he does give several methods of tarot divination in the appendix). To those willing to wade through what is at times completely confusing, eternally amusing, willing to view breathtaking artwork and in-depth writing, this book is for you. Buy it.
Rating: 4
Summary: Excellent, but vauge in some key areas.
Comment: The Book of Thoth is a wonderful companion to the deck of the same name. It illucidates wonderfully the symbolism Crolwey wished to convey through Lady Harris' art. The history section is sane and avoids dogmatic pronunciations about the ancient history of the Tarot. Two things, however, marr what is otherwise a wonderful book. First, the technique given for reading the cards is likely to stump one's intuitive flow. Second, Crowley barely touches on the system of Elemental Dignities upon which the deck relies. Both of these gaps, however, can be filled in by reading elsewhere. Reccomended.
Rating: 5
Summary: A MAGNUM OPUS
Comment: The Thoth Tarot has become one of the most popular Tarot decks in the world, and The Book of Thoth is Crowley's last word on the subject. Anyone interested in Tarot or the western mystery traditions should read and study it. It's Crowley's Magnum Opus, and I'd give it six stars if I could. However, for the beginning tarotist or someone unprepared for the style and erudition of Crowley's writing it can be an impossible read, and so I also recommend in the strongest terms Duquette's "Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot" --not as a replacement for The Book of Thoth, but as a companion text. It's the only commentary on the subject by a real Crowley expert (a 30 year veteran of Crowley's O.T.O.) and a real tarot expert (a Certified Tarot Grand Master). No one can make Crowley understandable like Lon Milo Duquette, and for me his book is Rosetta Stone of The Book of Thoth and the Thoth Tarot.
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Title: Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot Deck by Aleister Crowley, Frieda Harris ISBN: 0913866156 Publisher: United States Games Systems Pub. Date: November, 1988 List Price(USD): $22.00 |
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Title: Book of the Law by Aleister Crowley ISBN: 0877283346 Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser Pub. Date: October, 1989 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
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Title: 777 And Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley by Israel Regardie, Aleister Crowley ISBN: 0877286701 Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser Pub. Date: October, 1990 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: Book of Lies by Aleister Crowley ISBN: 0877285160 Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser Pub. Date: June, 1986 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: The Crowley Tarot Handbook: The Handbook to the Cards by Akron, Hajo Banzhaf, Christine M. Grimm, Aleister Crowley, Frieda Harris ISBN: 0880797150 Publisher: United States Games Systems Pub. Date: March, 2003 List Price(USD): $17.95 |
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