Best Tarot Books for Beginners

[DanielJUK]

I thought it would be useful to have a thread for reference of our fave books we used as beginners. For Tarot or any related books. This can be a list which helps other members of the forum in future.

We have a thread already of the best tarot books by google ranked recommendations here and we have a sister thread of best books generally (not just for beginners) here

 

What books would you personally recommend to beginners starting out?

 

What books really helped you as you started out?

What were your essential books that you keep as a reference?

What books really changed your mind on something divination related or gave you a light bulb moment?

 

Do list them in this thread and if you want to give you reasons why, that is cool as well.

 

I will keep a list of the most mentioned books here as our most popular recommendations from T,T&M Members over time

 

Our Most Popular Book Recommendations

 

 

[Sanchez]

What a great question! This is a really hard one, though--Tarot is so overwhelming as a beginner. Naked people! Swords! The DEATH card! Fifty million meanings per card, plus reversals! And numerology! And elements! It's oy vey, all day. 

 

The "books" that got me out of anxiety mode as a beginner were both by Theresa Reed. Her Tarot for Kids deck and booklet broke things down in a really non-threatening, introductory way. No confusing boobies or sharp objects or pools of blood, and character racial diversity was a comforting, inclusive boost. Her "The Tarot Coloring Book" helped me take my time with each card, coloring and learning at my own pace, with blank areas to add my own notes as I grew. For me, books were too heady and overwhelming to start, to the point that I quit several times. When overwhelmed, I seek pediatric level learning, as it's made for newbies! It worked well for me.

 

 

[RunningWild]

On 6/13/2022 at 5:48 AM, DanielJUK said:

I thought it would be useful to have a thread for reference of our fave books we used as beginners. For Tarot or any related books. This can be a list which helps other members of the forum in future.

We have a thread already of the best tarot books by google ranked recommendations here and we have a sister thread of best books generally (not just for beginners) here

 

What books would you personally recommend to beginners starting out?

 

What books really helped you as you started out?

What were your essential books that you keep as a reference?

What books really changed your mind on something divination related or gave you a light bulb moment?

 

Do list them in this thread and if you want to give you reasons why, that is cool as well.

 

I will keep a list of the most mentioned books here as our most popular recommendations from T,T&M Members over time

 

Our Most Popular Book Recommendations

 

 

 

I'm not sure how I missed this thread.

 

What books really helped you as you started out?

I think I just started out with whatever book came with the decks that I purchased.  Initially, I purchased only deck kits that came with books.  I had the added benefit of an online community of sorts with whom I could discuss the cards.

 

What were your essential books that you keep as a reference?

I have several now. 

21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card

Tarot 101

Tarot and Astrology

Tarot Correspondences

Pictures from the Heart - Sadly, I only have the Kindle version.

 

What books really changed your mind on something divination related or gave you a light bulb moment?

Rachel Pollack's 78 Degrees of Wisdom, especially for the Hanged Man and the Eight of Swords.

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

I'm a nuts and bolts guy, so The Tarot Revealed by Fenton-Smith gave me a seamless introduction to Tarot reading. The Ultimate Guide to the Tarot by Dean was an effective follow up. I read The Holistic Tarot when I was already rather proficient, but it's my main reference even if I don't agree with some of Wen's stances. She did post a beginner's syllabus on her site though, which novices may find helpful. 

 

[Daquorita]

Holistic Tarot by: Benebell Wen

It's a moster of a book but it's so beautiful.

Bless.

[Raggydoll]

For me, it was the 78 degrees of wisdom. 

[MichaelH]

When I started I tried a few books using Kindle Unlimited. It has quite a few tarot books and it's easy to try them out and decide if any are worth buying.

 

One I really liked was this one:

 

Wiggan, Jessica. How to Read Tarot: A Modern Guide . Althea Press. 

 

 

[Aliki]

I loved the tarot bible by sarah Bartlett i got this with my first decks when i was learning tarot and it was really helpful with so many information and spreads and also exploring tarot using radiant rider waite cause i personally read reverses from my very first readings so it was very helpful on that too and on the meanings for several spreads on both upright and reversed

[FLizarraga]

I cannot tell anyone what to read, but I will say which were the first Tarot books I read. I have read a lot more since then, but these three remain my foundation.

 

I read them in this order:

 

1) Eden Gray's A Complete Guide to the Tarot

2) Rachel Pollack's 78 Degrees of Wisdom

3) Rachel Pollack's The New Tarot Handbook

 

These three books have the peculiarity that each of them builds on the previous one.

 

However, of the three, I would recommend starting with The New Tarot Handbook. It's the shortest, written with clarity in mind, user friendly to the max, and sticks to the images without getting into astrological correspondences and all the esoteric background.

 

For the Tarot de Marseille, I started with The Marseille Tarot Revealed: A Complete Guide to Symbolism, Meanings & Methods, by Yoav Ben-Dov, whose approach is very similar to that of The New Tarot Handbook. There are other very good ones --Jodorowsky and Marteau, in particular. Enrique Enríquez's approach, while very idiosyncratic, is brilliant IMHO.

 

So far, my explorations of the Thoth Tarot remain very limited. Like Lyra Belacqua in the His Dark Materials books, I was able to read intuitively with it when I knew nothing about Tarot, but that knack vanished as soon as I started to study.(Lyra, for those not familiar with the books or the BBC series, does not read the Tarot, but a divination device called an alethiometer.) It is my personal belief that Crowley (and Lady Frieda Harris) designed those powerful images to work that way.

[gregory]

And again I say: Cynthia Giles. Covers not only reading, but also history and background.

[Chariot]

42 minutes ago, gregory said:

And again I say: Cynthia Giles. Covers not only reading, but also history and background.

I just looked her up, and she's written quite a few books!  (I've not got any of her books, and I'd like to give her a try.)  Can you recommend one that's a particularly good beginner/starter book? 

[gregory]

There are two, one of which keeps being renamed.

 

The Tarot: History, Mystery and Lore (which also shows up as Tarot: The Complete Guide (as a result I had a nice gift for a friend !!!) and even just "Tarot." That's the one I'd go for for a beginner. What I particularly like is that she covers pretty much every theory dispassionately and with taste and decorum.

I quote from a rather fine review:

Quote

This is one of the most informative books about the tarot I have ever read. Every paragraph of every page is filled with interesting information about the history of the tarot, and the major players in its historical development and evolution. This is not a book of starry-eyed New Age speculation about whether of not the tarot came from ancient Egypt, which it did not, but is a scholarly elucidation of everything that has happened to the tarot since its inception. In terms of the tarot, Cynthia Giles must be the most informed person on earth, and it shows in this book. I was flabbergasted throughout at her seemingly limitless breadth of knowledge about the tarot.

 

The other is The Tarot - Methods, Mastery and More - also excellent.

 

She has done some deck guidebooks - but that's more specialised, as you might say.

 

[GreatDane]

Since I got interested in, and came at tarot, with a psychology background, Tarot Plain and Simple resonated the most for me.  I had another book or two, but this is the one I got early on and only one I have and occasionally still refer to.   

 

I think it's whatever book makes the most sense to the individual person, since no one winds up reading EXACTLY the same way.

[Wyrdkiss]

This one is so immensely beneficial in my experience.  It is not definitions or spreads. Instead Worth helps the reader clarify their beliefs,  work with challenging questions,  and set boundaries for themselves and others. I loved this one,  she's pretty amazing. 

[Laura77]

This is a great idea. Personally I haven’t found a beginners tarot guide book that resonated with me but I will definitely take note of all the advice here.

 

What I found very helpful was a series of YouTube videos Learning tarot for beginners by Mystic Rainn. She goes through the major arcana in great detail and then a series of videos for each suit. She tries to simplify it and I found it helpful. Maybe because it’s more visual and audible that works with me. 
 

Here is the link if anyone is interested it’s a starting foundation to tarot understanding but it’s a great start I think :

 

 

 

[MrMole]

I think someone has already mentioned it, but Tarot Plain and Simple by Anthony Lewis, not least because of the way it's laid out in numerical order rather than by cups, wands, ect.

[Teemu]

On 11/26/2022 at 8:25 AM, Raggydoll said:

For me, it was the 78 degrees of wisdom. 

Agreed, a very good book! Especially for the Great Arcana.

[Teemu]

On 10/17/2023 at 2:18 AM, FLizarraga said:

1) Eden Gray's A Complete Guide to the Tarot

 

I am currently reading this one, and I find it so-and-so. There are some good explanations on the symbology, right, that I find useful even today. OTOH some decriptions are contradictory and / or biased towards a very old-fashioned christian view. Devil and Tower are bad and wrong, Hanged Man is bland. Most of the other descriptions of the Great Arcana are much better. The descriptions of the Lesser Arcana are rather brief, like in most books. The introduction is a la-la-la compilation of everything and nothing, but ok the book is more than 50 years old.

 

Sadly, I cannot say something about the second half of the book, as I have not yet read it.

[Chariot]

The title of this book might mislead people into thinking this is NOT a book for beginners, but for more advanced readers.  However, it's one of the best books for 'getting started' I've ever encountered.  Theresa Reed has a knack of drawing her readership right in, with her friendly, down-to-earth and lighthearted approach to a subject she actually takes very seriously.  I have read Tarot: No Questions Asked: Mastering The Art of Intuitive Reading by Theresa Reed cover-to-cover many times, and always enjoy the experience.  This book will make for very painless learning, if you are a beginner.  I wish I'd had it when I first started.  

Theresa Reed not only presents the most practical, and detailed descriptions of each card that I've ever encountered—both upright and reversed—but she sparks understanding even further by offering a Question to Ponder relating to each card. (For the 8 of Swords, she asks the question, In What Ways Do You Limit Yourself?)  She also suggests a way to embody the energy of each card in the real world, and then gives us what she calls a Tarotcise ...a short exercise (and they are fun!) pertaining to each card.  The book is profusely illustrated (in black and white) using the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, so it's easy to follow everything she discusses.  

This is better than a LIttle White Book already. But, in addition to all the card information, she demonstrates what reading cards is like.  She gives many personal examples of how readings have worked out for her ...both readings for herself and her readings for others.  She discusses a few simple spreads, without swamping the reader with Too Much Information, and offers advice on how to approach the cards, the readings, the people in a person's life who will influence card reading, and gives advice on how to turn pro, if that's what the reader is aiming for.  She also discusses dilemmas and questions connected to readings:  Can My Friend Sit With Me While I Get A Reading? That Reading Was Totally Wrong! Can I Ask The Question Again If I Didn't Like The Outcome? Help, I've Drawn A Blank!  Stalker Cards. Jumpers. What's Around The Card?  Missing Suits.  And so forth.... 

This is a deceptively complete book a beginner won't find the least bit intimidating.  And it's fun to read.  Many times!

[Celine]

A book to introduce friends to Tarot, who are "not into all that" :

- Wild Card : Let the Tarot tell your story is a great book. Simply put : they use the cards as prompts for meaningful conversations. Except that when they say "be careful, when those cards appear in a reading, it can get emotional", they show that certain cards pop at certain times for certain people. And there's no way around that. That's what got me into reading about Tarot. I think it's the gentlest way you could ever introduce someone who's "not into all that" to it. And to be honest, the atmosphere of friendship, long talks around a glass of wine, etc, that pervades the book has stayed with me.

 

The book that made me fall in love with Tarot:

- 78 Degrees of Wisdom, Rachel Pollack, of course. That's when I started looking at the cards and marvel at it. I have printed out a spread of all the cards so I can keep looking at connections in terms of imagery etc. 

 

The book that made it "real" for me : 

- Tarot reading explained, James Ricklef (please don't stop at the ugly cover ! It was first published in the years 2000 as Tarot Tells The Tale, what a wonderful title) ! He reads the cards for fictional or mythical characters, and explains his interpretation step by step. This taught me a lot about weaving the story, finding what sparks the meaning for you as a reader, and so much more. I like how simple Ricklef is, not claiming to have the final word on anything but at the same time very clear in terms of ethics. A keeper. A

[Scandinavianhermit]

I found Stuart Kaplan's Encyclopedia of Tarot, Volume 1 (1978), useful in the beginning, but not his list of divinatory meanings.

 

Today, I would recommend Paul Huson's Mystical Origins of the Tarot (2004), Paul Huson's Dame Fortune's Wheel Tarot: A Pictorial Key (2017), Yoav ben Dov's The Marseille Tarot Revealed: A Complete Guide to Symbolism, Meanings and Methods (2017), Oswald Wirth's Tarot of the Magicians: The Occult Symbols of the Major Arcana that inspired Modern Tarot (2013) and Robert M. Place: The First Occult Tarot As Envisioned by Louis-Raphaël-Lucrèce de Fayolle, comte de Mellet in 1781 (2023). 

[Rose Lalonde]

On 11/25/2024 at 2:30 AM, Celine said:

The book that made it "real" for me : 

- Tarot reading explained, James Ricklef (please don't stop at the ugly cover ! It was first published in the years 2000 as Tarot Tells The Tale, what a wonderful title) ! He reads the cards for fictional or mythical characters, and explains his interpretation step by step. This taught me a lot about weaving the story, finding what sparks the meaning for you as a reader, and so much more. I like how simple Ricklef is, not claiming to have the final word on anything but at the same time very clear in terms of ethics. A keeper.

Agreed. This one is great.

 

--

 

Also for me, Tarot Deciphered by Susan Chang and M. M. Meleen.  And a reference book rather than a read-through: Tarot Correspondences by Susan Chang that @RunningWild mentioned.  Plus Paul Huson's Mystical Origins of the Tarot that @Scandinavianhermit mentioned. (Despite "Mystical" in the title, it's grounded history.)

[geoxena]

My first book was Tarot: A New Handbook For The Apprentice By Eileen Connolly (1979).  I don't remember much about it now, 40+ years later, but I think it was fairly comprehensive.  I am curious about what folks think of it these days.  It has probably been revised over the years.  Any opinions?

 

.

Edited December 22, 2024 by geoxena

[alethian]

My first Tarot book was "Around the Tarot in 78 Days" by Marcus Katz & Tali Goodwin.

I ended up selling the book because I wasn't getting along very well with the book at the time.

But I bought the same book again recently, because I couldn't recall the content of the book very well, and I  missed the book after almost 10 years.

Now I feel I can understand it better, and  it is a good book to study.

 

 

Edited December 22, 2024 by alethian

[FindYourSovereignty]

13 hours ago, geoxena said:

My first book was Tarot: A New Handbook For The Apprentice By Eileen Connolly (1979).  I don't remember much about it, but I think it was fairly comprehensive.  I am curious about what folks think of it these days.  It has probably been revised over the years.  Any opinions?

 

.

I bought this book and repurchased the deck after moving it along, but haven’t actually used it yet. All my extra decks and workbooks have been packed up since April while we build our new home.  She has two additional books after this one that I am also curious about.