Decks with good guidebooks?

[Mokona]

Recently I've been working with the Tarot of Vampyres by Ian Daniels, and the guidebook is a doozy. It's just really really good. And I love that when I bought this deck it was accompanied by a guidebook that really adds to the deck, and to my tarot studies.

I know that US Games sometimes sold guidebooks for decks separately, but most of them are out of print and hard to come by. As it is, I live in India, and haven't been able to buy any indie or secondhand decks since Covid hit.

So I'm asking for recommendations of mass-market decks with guidebooks that you thought were especially good, offered something different, or added to the deck, or however you judged that the guidebook was good. Whether the guidebook comes as a set with the deck, or is sold separately, as long as it's mass-market and still in print, I'd be grateful for your suggestions!

[Jewel]

What types of decks do you like?  What themes?  That will help me narrow down some possibilities for you.  I enjoy reviewing decks and deck/book sets so I would be happy to share some of my favorite mass-market deck/book sets with you but some extra info would help me know where to start 🤓

[Mokona]

@Jewel Thank you! Honestly, it's hard to predict what kind of decks draw me in. I'm at that stage where I'm greedily devouring tarot books and just feeling excited to learn. I'd say I'm more likely to be drawn to 'whimsical' decks–some of my favourite decks are the Dreaming Way, the Wonderland Tarot and the Halloween Tarot–and I have the Czech version of the Shadowscapes and love it. But the Paulina tarot I can't use, even though it's also 'whimsical' and with very detailed art like the Shadowscapes. And I'd say I'm interested in symbolism if it's not a deck absolutely crammed with symbols I won't be able to understand maybe ever, but I have the Parrott tarot and absolutely love it. 

But, 'whimsical' is a good place to start. It also helps if the deck has a bit of diversity, because I'm not white/Caucasian. And RWS-based is nice but not necessary. I like the Modern Witch Tarot quite a lot. But I also like the older RWS clones a lot, the Hanson-Roberts and the Fenestra Tarot for example.

I'm trying to expand to non-RWS decks too. I don't know if this is helpful, sorry! I'm being very broad >.< but I truly have and enjoy a variety of decks.

[gregory]

Any LLlewellyn (or other, but...) deck with a book by Barbara Moore is worth having.

[Jewel]

Yes this is really helpful 😛  I have several deck reviews up here on TT&M that include extensive information regarding the guide books as well as the decks themselves.  I try to watch my Tarot budget so I do collect of mass market deck/book sets.  I am going to list some of them here (in print) and if you do not mind going to the Library section you can click on the deck and read the full review:

 

- DruidCraft (is Celtic so not much diversity but really great deck for earth based spirituality) - has some of the best court cards of all time to help beginners learn them.

- Green With Tarot (excellent book)

- Everyday Witch

- Cosmic Tribe - one of the elements of this deck is nudity (in your face nudity but not sexual), and it is Toth based, people either love or hate it.  I love it - very elementally based and very diverse.

- Mermaid Tarot by Leeza Robertson

- Magical Dogs

- Wizards Tarot (Barbara Moore & Maike Janssens

 

If you do not own 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card by Mary Greer, I would highly recommend you purchase it with any deck you like (with or without a book).  This Work Book if you really dedicate yourself to using it will open a whole new world to you and give you trust in your intuition.  When I did this I did all the Apprentice Level exercises and then went back and did the Adept Level.  I had so wished this would be have been available when I learned to read with tarot.

 

Hope these suggestions help you 🤓

 

[Jewel]

2 hours ago, gregory said:

Any LLlewellyn (or other, but...) deck with a book by Barbara Moore is worth having.

Barbara's guide books are really good, I totally agree. 

 

I am not so sure about all of the decks that come with them.  I would hesitate to recommend the Mystic Dreamer, and Tarot of the Hidden Realm is one that focuses primarily on the people in the card (designed that way), so not so much symbolism in the backgrounds.

 

Mokona, Ms. Moore also did the book for the Gilded Tarot Royale by Ciro Marchetti and that should be pretty good too, and fantasy oriented.  His artwork is luscious.  The Mystic Faerie is another one that is really nice with a book by Barbara Moore.  If you do not already own the Shadowscapes guidebook, as you have the Czech version, you might buy the US edition for the guidebook which is also written by Ms. Moore.

[gregory]

She did indeed do the book for the Gilded Royale (it's so good that at first I thought Ciro had written it, as it is so spot on for the deck !) - but do be careful not to go for Ciro's Gilded one that shows up packaged as the "Easy Tarot" or something - that book is NOT by Barbara and is nowhere close to her standard.

 

(I like Mystic Dreamer, myself, but I know others don't !)

[Mokona]

@gregory Thank you! I have Barbara Moore's Tarot Spreads book, and I've added the Steampunk Tarot and Mystic Faerie Tarot to my list. I've checked out the other decks she's written guidebooks for but these two have art that I like. The Gilded Royale, while beautiful, is not appealing to me and I'm not sure why, but I'll look into whether I can get it just for the book. 

@Jewel The Mermaid Tarot is so beautiful... just... wow. I'm glad it has a book that's particularly good. The Green Witch Tarot looks lovely as well.

I have the app version of Shadowscapes for the guidebook. I'd certainly prefer a print copy, but I'm always struggling with tarot budgeting 😅

I looked it up, and I actually like the psychedelic photomanipulation thing the Cosmic Tribe has going. It looks like a fun time. I saw bits of the guidebook in a flip through and the writer has a unique approach to the cards. Interesting.

I have Mary Greer's Tarot For Your Self, Tarot Reversals, and the Jungian Path from Darkness to Light, so I'll get the book you mentioned as well. Her books have helped me a ton so that one is sure to, as well.

 

Have either of you worked with the Motherpeace tarot? I just saw that its accompanying books are reasonably priced on Indian Amazon, and I'd love to hear opinions on it. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet, myself, although the creators seem to have provided a lot of information to work with.

Edited September 30, 2021 by Mokona

[Jewel]

@Mokona one more deck to suggest to you, the Shadowlands Tarot by Monica Bodirsky.  I am currently starting to work with the deck, and reading through the book last night I think it too has some really good stuff to offer.  Some wonderful spreads as well.  This deck deals with the shadow side of things but in a lighter tone than darker decks.  If you are familiar with the Joie de Vivre deck by Paulina, I would say that this deck is probably the flip side of that one from what I am seeing so far.  The imagery is has a child like fantasy quality and innocence to it (about monsters) but very poignant.   It was published by Schiffer in 2020.  I am not that wild about the cardstock (though I do like the gold gilded edges), but the deck seems so good that I can overlook that.   I hope to write a review of this deck in early November after working with it for a month, but so far I really like it.  Keywords just spring up when I look at the cards.

 

The Mermaid Tarot is really well done.  It really surprised me, the most well rounded Mermaid deck I have ever worked with where the suits are well fleshed out.  I also like that it is multicultural.  The Green Witch might be my favorite Pagan deck (and I have quite a few of them).  The book is really good, and any changes to the naming of the majors just fits the theme in such a manner that it was easy to transition to them.  The court cards are also really good which is always something I appreciate.

 

@gregory I am neutral when it comes to the Mystic Dreamer, I think the main issue I have with it has to do with the size of the images which lies solely on the publisher.  This is a deck (like Shadowscapes) that would have really benefited from being borderless or having small borders.  That bottom border really takes a huge chunk of space.  There are few cards where the photo-manipulation did not work as well and those stick out, but there are some incredibly beautiful cards like the Death Card as well.  I think the deck does convey the dreaminess and mystery the artist intended.

 

I have the Steampunk on my wishlist too 🤓  I have not worked with the Motherpeace, it is one of those decks I have not been drawn to.

Edited September 30, 2021 by Jewel

[Mokona]

@Jewel Shadowlands is right up my alley! Whimsical and with a lot of thought behind it. I had a bad experience where I purchased it and it arrived with the box all beaten up, so I returned it, but I plan on repurchasing it.

I kind of wish it was edged in a matte black instead of gold, but that's a minor quibble. Schiffer cardstock I have not once enjoyed so far... but I plan on getting the Shadowlands and the Gorgon's Tarot despite that.

Yeah, I don't think there's a better mermaid deck out there, for now. And it'll be the best for a while. It's difficult to top that deck.

 

The reason I got the Czech Shadowscapes is because the images really benefit from the larger size. They do justice to the art, and they're not even that much bigger than the Llewellyn version. 

The Steampunk has that Victorian feel without being stuffy. I don't know much about the Steampunk theme but I feel like I don't need to. I like the deck anyway.

[Jewel]

That is too bad that your first experience trying to purchase the Shadowlands went bad.  I do hope you are able to get the deck again soon and it goes smoothly.  Personally I would recommend the Mermaid Tarot over the Mystic Faeries just because of how good the Mermaid Tarot deck and book are, and that there is nothing comparable to it in a mermaid theme.  It is also very multicultural and diverse which you expressed was important to you.

 

My favorite Faerie deck is OOP now (Victorian Faery Tarot), so I do not use my Mystic Faeries very much.  If the Victorian Fairy Tarot was in print I would have highly recommended that one.  If you can ever really splurge on a deck and book I would recommend any/all Magic Realist Press (Baba) decks.  Their Alice Tarot was my grail deck, and frankly there is nothing like it.  I am so glad I was able to trade for it.  If could only have one deck that would be the one.  It has whimsy, humor, absurdity, and kicks you ass all in one.  To me it is the whole package.  It really takes you through trip to wonderland.  Confuses you only for it to all make sense in the end.  Baba decks as a whole are just a class of their own and great reading decks.  I have a couple of them (Tarot of Prague and Mythical Creatures) that I have not worked with yet but I have absolutely love and read with their other decks (Victorian Romantic, Baroque Bohemian Cats, Bohemian Gothic, Fairytale, Fantastic Menagerie, and Alice).  If history is any sign, I will end really liking the other two as well.  But the Alice in my personal opinion is the crown jewel of them all.

 

As for the Shadowlands cardstock, I just wish it were cardstock like Llewellyn or US Games uses.  It is getting a little easier to shuffle as a I keep working with it (I riffle shuffle), so that is good news.  I am not one that is fussy about card stock, so it is an odd time you will hear me complain about that.

 

I have been on the fence about the Steampunk for a long time and always seem to end up getting other decks when it comes to hitting the purchase button.  I got the Shadowlands and Wizards Tarot (the one with the book by Barbara Moore) over it last time.  I am sucker for that Hogwartz/Harry Potter magical school concept LOL.  The Wizards Tarot is not diverse though so might not interest you.  I have not really worked with it so I cannot comment any further on it, but I love the colors and theme, and the fact that Barbara wrote the book.

[katrinka]

2 hours ago, Jewel said:

If you can ever really splurge on a deck and book I would recommend any/all Magic Realist Press (Baba) decks.  Their Alice Tarot was my grail deck, and frankly there is nothing like it.  I am so glad I was able to trade for it.  If could only have one deck that would be the one.  It has whimsy, humor, absurdity, and kicks you ass all in one.  To me it is the whole package.  It really takes you through trip to wonderland.  Confuses you only for it to all make sense in the end.  Baba decks as a whole are just a class of their own and great reading decks.  I have a couple of them (Tarot of Prague and Mythical Creatures) that I have not worked with yet but I have absolutely love and read with their other decks (Victorian Romantic, Baroque Bohemian Cats, Bohemian Gothic, Fairytale, Fantastic Menagerie, and Alice).  If history is any sign, I will end really liking the other two as well.  But the Alice in my personal opinion is the crown jewel of them all.

 

Yes. The Baba guidebooks are top notch. You have to purchase them separately, but they're worth every penny.
They not only give you solid information on reading the cards, you also get explanations of the images chosen, the hows and whys. I even learned about the existence of the Bone Chapel from the Bohemian Gothic. And the Alice is an amazing deck. Some of the images even "cross the line" and spill into the borders. It captures the spirit of the books perfectly. 🥰 It's well worth setting some ducats aside and waiting for new editions to be printed. You can save a little money by preordering, too. And your purchases earn points that can be used for discounts at a later date.

Edited September 30, 2021 by katrinka

[Mokona]

Thank you @Jewel and @katrinka so much for the Baba Studios recommendations. Their decks are pretty much famous in the tarot community and I've heard a lot about them. I hope I have a chance to get them in the future, but I also know they're expensive, and the last indie deck I bought has been in a customs hold for two months now. I got a long letter from customs threatening confiscation and after sending them all the documents they asked for, I got no response to any of my communications–it's a bureaucratic nightmare, and I wish I could just pay import duties and bring my deck home, but it's not that simple, unfortunately. A string of bad experiences has made me wary of buying any deck that will have to make it through customs for me, as opposed to mass market decks that are imported in first by booksellers and companies and sold here afterwards. Ordering from the US is especially risky right now because I still don't have decks that I ordered six months ago, and I've given up on their ever reaching me; I don't know if this is an issue with the USPS or with packages from the US in general no matter who is handling shipping, but I probably won't attempt buying anything from the US for the next 2-3 years.

It took me many months to curb my own longing for indie decks, because so many of them are beautiful quality with thought put into them, and diverse too... it's difficult. But I'm going to keep my sights on decks that I will actually be able to acquire. There's no point saving up for a deck only for it to never come home to me.

[katrinka]

Yikes, that's horrible.
Baba ships from Ireland, if that's any help.
The US post office is in shambles. I won't go into a political rant here, but suffice to say that DeJoy needs to go. He's purposely wrecking it.

[Mokona]

@katrinka Thank you. I had to request refunds for some decks I bought from the Book Depository, and those were dispatched from the UK, so I probably won't make a large/expensive purchase from Ireland without first trying out a small purchase to see if it reaches me. And even that, I'll wait a year before attempting.

Decks from the US and UK made it home to me fine last year, and I've been so confused trying to figure out what changed so drastically in a few months, especially as the Covid situation has been improving. I'm aghast to hear that politicians are ruining post services; I thought capitalist countries liked international trade. What the hell are they thinking?!

[katrinka]

The new Brexit rules were causing a lot of problems for awhile. Baba is located in Killarney, though, and IIRC, it's not in the UK and not subject to any of that. Ireland is a little confusing - parts of it are UK and other parts aren't.
And what happened here wasn't a matter of thinking. It was a matter of the former guy doing everything he could to dismantle the postal service because he didn't want people voting by mail. He's gone  now, but that Postmaster General he appointed is still there, so mail service is still getting slower and worse, yet the prices are going up.

[Mokona]

Ah, yes, Brexit! No wonder. I can't order from Little Red Tarot because of it 😐 I noticed they weren't delivering to India anymore and I didn't connect the dots.

Some day, when things are better, I dream of owning a Baba deck. It'll happen. Manifesting and all that sparkly jazz. 😄

Why isn't the new guy firing the Postmaster General?

[Mokona]

I'm going to hold off buying anything from the US, even if it's through a service like the one you mentioned. If the issue is not with the customs but with the post, I'm not sure a service like this would be of help to me.

When I do need customs to be smoothed out for me it's usually an indie deck I'm buying, so chances are it won't be available on the service you mentioned. But it's definitely an option I'll keep in mind if there's something I want to buy without going through the hassle of customs. Thanks for the info.

[Jewel]

@Mokona I totally understand your position and there are some really good mass market decks out there.  I do hope that some time in the future you are able to get a Baba deck with one of their books, but if I were in your shoes I would feel the same way and only order what I was more confident in receiving.  You have some good choices to select from, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts once you get one or more of these decks 😛