Written by Gérard Encausse under his occult alias, Papus, this volume gives a history of tarot and details the Marseilles pack's symbolism alongside an exploration of Jewish Kabbalah mysticism. Gérard Encausse was a French hypnotist, physician, and occultist famous for founding the modern Martinist Order. In this text, he presents basic instruction in cartomancy using the tarot deck, while claiming that the practice contains knowledge from ancient Egypt, India, and Atlantis.

The contents of the volume include:

- Introduction to the Study of the Tarot

- The General Key to the Tarot

- The Sacred Word

- Esotericism of Numbers

- Analogy Between the Sacred Word and Numbers

- The Key to the Minor Arcana