About the author
Ed Simon is an American essayist and editor whose writing spans religion, literary history, and American culture. In this catalogue he is represented by The Pittsburgh Tarot: A Gilded Age Deck (2025), which pairs tarot imagery with the gothic industrial history of Pittsburgh, a city Simon describes as built on coke and steel and steeped in an old-world atmosphere, and Pandemonium: A Visual History of Demonology, a study tracing Satan's fallen-angel lineage from Asmodeus to Ziminiar alongside its cultural and artistic influence. Both books reflect Simon's broader approach of using visual and material culture, whether cards or demonological imagery, to examine historical belief systems. His writing generally moves between scholarly grounding and an accessible, essayistic style suited to general readers with an interest in religious and cultural history rather than practicing occultists.
📖 Where to start with Ed Simon
💬 What our editors say about Ed Simon's books
“While visually stunning and intellectually rigorous, this book is not for casual readers seeking quick horror thrills or simple tabular indexes. It demands patience for its rich tapestry of history and nuanced devils of…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Pandemonium: A Visual History of Demonology Simon, Ed
“While visually striking for enthusiasts of Pittsburgh’s industrial past, this deck may not suit readers seeking universal or traditional tarot interpretations. The reliance on hyper-local symbolism, such as neighborhoods and…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on The Pittsburgh Tarot: A Gilded Age Deck
