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.

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Arthur Edward Waite (1857 - 1942) was an American-born British writer and scholarly mystic who created an extensive oeuvre on occult and esoteric matters. He is also famous as the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck creator. The historical value of Waite's works consist-ed in his first-ever attempt to prepare a systematic study of the history of western occultism. He studied divination, esotericism, Rosicrucianism, Freemasonry, ceremonial magic, Kabbalism, and alchemy. He also translated and reissued several mystical and alchemical works. Many of his stud-ies were dedicated to the question of the search for the Holy Grail.