A. E. Waite books in order
British occultist mystic, poet and writer
- Lived
- 1857–1942
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Books
- 34
A. E. Waite published 2 novels, 11 non-fiction books, 2 poetry collections and 19 other books, beginning with The Book of Black Magic and of Pacts (1910). The best-known is The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with A. E. Waite
Start here
The Pictorial Key to the Tarot
A. E. Waite's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
The Quest of the Golden Stairs (1942)
Hermetic Papers of A.E. Waite (1987)
Non-fiction in order
Lives of Alchemystical Philosophers ... to Which Is Added a Bibliography of Alchemy and Hermetic Philosophy (1888)
The Occult Sciences (1891)
The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910)
Secret Tradition in Freemasonry (1911)
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (1911)
The Brotherhood of the Rosy Cross (1924)
The Secret Tradition in Alchemy (1926)
The Holy Grail (1961)
Alchemists Through the Ages (1970)
The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony (1977)
History of Magic (1981)
Poetry in order
Elfin Music (1888)
Songs and Poems of Fairyland (1888)
Other books in order
The Real History of the Rosicrucians Founded on Their Own Manifestoes (1887)
A New Light of Mysticism: Azoth; Or, The Star in the East (1893)
Alchemy (1896)
The Secret Doctrine in Israel (1900)
The Doctrine and Literature of the Kabalah (1902)
Strange Houses of Sleep (1906)
The Hidden Church of the Holy Graal (1909)
The Book of Black Magic and of Pacts (1910)
A New Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry (Ars Magna Latomorum) and of Cognate Instituted Mysteries (1921)
Saint-Martin, the French Mystic, and the Story of Modern Martinism, by Arthur Edward Waite (1922)
The Holy Kabbalah (1929)
Shadows of Life and Thought (1938)
Book of Black Magic and Ceremonial Magic (1942)
Rider Waite Tarot (1975)
The Hidden Church of the Holy Grail (1975)
The Key to the Tarot (1982)
The Hermetic Museum (1991)
The Hermetic And Alchemical Writings Of Paracelsus (1992)
Turba Philosophorum (1997)
Free to read
All free classics
About A. E. Waite
Arthur Edward Waite was a British poet and scholarly mystic who wrote extensively on the occult and Western esotericism. He was the co-creator of the Rider–Waite Tarot. As his biographer R. A. Gilbert described him, "Waite's name has survived because he was the first to attempt a systematic study of the history of Western occultism—viewed as a spiritual tradition rather than as aspects of protoscience or as the pathology of religion."
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
A. E. Waite FAQ
- How many books has A. E. Waite written?
- A. E. Waite published 2 novels, 11 non-fiction books, 2 poetry collections and 19 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read A. E. Waite's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with The Pictorial Key to the Tarot.
- What is A. E. Waite's last book?
- The Quest of the Golden Stairs (1942).
- What is A. E. Waite's most famous book?
- The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910) is A. E. Waite's most widely read book.
- Can I read A. E. Waite's books for free?
- Yes. 2 books by A. E. Waite are in the public domain in the US and free to read online or download here.
Authors like A. E. Waite
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers, free texts from Project Gutenberg. Last updated September 2026.