Best Tarot Books

[DanielJUK]

I thought it would be useful to have a thread for reference of our fave books we use generally. 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 for beginners here

 

What books would you personally recommend that have been important in your studies and journey?

 

What books really helped you?

What are 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

 

[Chariot]

Ah.  I was looking for this very topic this morning!  Seems as if this thread has only been started recently.  I hope it catches on.

I've enjoyed several books connected to a particular set of cards, such as the Anna K Tarot book and the Druidcraft Tarot book, and also have several other books on general tarot which I've found useful.

However, the book I most highly recommend for people of all levels of tarot knowledge is the huge tome (874 pages) by Benebel Wen, called Holistic Tarot.  The book really does have just about everything going for it, and as its reviewers have often said, if you have this book you probably don't need any others. I won't go quite that far, as most books have value, but these reviewers are probably right!

It's a large book, but I would recommend a person get hold of a printed copy.  I can't imagine trying to use this book via a Kindle-type version. This is a detailed reference book, and you will want to jump between sections quite often, including the various Appendices and Index, to look up a specific topic.

 

Here is a list of chapter titles in Holistic Tarot, to give you an idea of what it contains:

1- Tarot Analytics: A Holistic Approach

2- A Concise History Lesson
3- Allaying Fears and Offering Theories
4- Choosing Your Deck
5- Anatomy of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot
6- The Personal Journal
7- Beginner Rote Learning

8- Keywords

9- Cyclopedia of Card Meanings

10-Signifier Cards

11-The First Operation

12-Interpreting Court Cards

13-On Shuffling, Cutting and Drawing

14-The Fundamentals of Reading Spreads

15-Consideration of the  Spread Landscape

16-Devising Tarot Spreads

17-Tarot Readings: A Step By Step

18-The Five Components of Circumstance

19-Assuaging Seekers When A Reading Seems Negative

20-Reading Tarot For Yourself

21-The Setting of A Tarot Reading and Energetic Supplements

22-Intermediate Ruminations and Practicum

23-The Value of Meditation to Tarot Practice

24-Inappropriate Questions

25-Ethical Considerations of the Tarot

26-Tarot and Love

27-Tarot and Professional  Development

28-Using Tarot to Build Resilience

29-Depth Diagnostics

30-The Opening of the Key

31-Tarot de Marseilles and the Thoth

32-The Professional Practice of Tarot

33-A Personal Essay : How I Started

Following Chapter 33 are 9 Appendices, Endnotes, Index, Acknowledgements and About The Author

These chapters, or most of them, are quite lengthy and are broken down into many subtopics (also listed in the Table of Contents.)  I found her advice is sound, pragmatic, and adaptable to just about any sort of reader/reading situation.  Not to mention, this is a very readable book, free of jargon, and while it doesn't assume prior knowledge of the tarot, it is never condescending.  This is a wonderbook, in my opinion.  The paperback is not particularly cheap, but isn't overly expensive either—around $30 US dollars, last time I checked—and I believe is still available in print.   It's well worth every penny, in my opinion.
 

[Vesta]

I often use Sasha Fenton's "Fortune Telling by Tarot Cards."  Although they're not in book form, the tarot meanings provided on the old Aeclectic Tarot site can be very insightful.

[Sanchez]

Tarot Reversals by Mary K. Greer is probably going to fall apart one day, I thumb through it so much. I fear I should buy a backup copy now--mystic books are constantly going out of print! I cannot say much about "The Only Tarot Book You'll Ever Need," as it's so basic I don't know what the point of it is (not surprising, I was talked/bullied into buying it at the local woo-woo shop that caters to tourists). Mary K. Greer is the business, though--meaty stuff for those who want to go steep or deep. 

[Mercuria]

Learning the Tarot by Joan Bunning was a resource I found useful as a beginner. It distills each card into just a few keywords, then expands each keyword into several longer sentences to show a range of interpretive possibilities. More than the keywords themselves, it’s a useful process for a beginner to know, especially as they gain more experience and start forming their own keywords and associations.
 

The contents of the book have been available online for free for decades now (I just checked, and it’s still there, after all these years). 

[Guest]

On 8/20/2022 at 5:06 PM, Chariot said:

However, the book I most highly recommend for people of all levels of tarot knowledge is the huge tome (874 pages) by Benebel Wen, called Holistic Tarot.  The book really does have just about everything going for it, and as its reviewers have often said, if you have this book you probably don't need any others. I won't go quite that far, as most books have value, but these reviewers are probably right!

 

I 100% agree. I'd even go so far as to say that it's the ne plus ultra of Rider-Waite-Smith-centric Tarot books.

 

In her blog, Wen also posted a wealth of supporting material, like study guides tailored to your skill level, log/reading templates, supplementary videos, etc. My only cavil is that she could have included a lengthier discussion on the Tarot's more esoteric aspects, like astrology and the Qabala. But as it is the value for money one gets from her book is huge.

[Rosebud]

Recently I read Tarot for Change by Jessica Dore, basically it's a book of tarot card meanings through the lens of psychology. I find her book helpful to give me some insight about tarot and mental health, since she also has a background in psychology publishing.

[Hedera]

I actually don't like Holistic Tarot all that much... 

 

* ducks * 

 

It is certainly the book with the most pages though! 😉

 

For me, books like '21 Ways to read a Tarot Card' by Mary K Greer and 'Tarot on Earth' by Tom Benjamin are much more valuable and unique.

 

When it comes to card meanings, '78 Degrees of Wisdom' by Rachel Pollack is much better in my opinion.

[Hedera]

5 minutes ago, Rosebud said:

Recently I read Tarot for Change by Jessica Dore, basically it's a book of tarot card meanings through the lens of psychology. I find her book helpful to give me some insight about tarot and mental health, since she also has a background in psychology publishing.

 

Interesting, that one has been on my list of possibles for a while!

I got a bit more restrained about buying tarot books the last couple of years, after a few that I had high hopes for turned out to be yet another book mostly listing card meanings...

 

Would you say it is as meaty as 'Tarot at a Crossroads'?

(Which I would *highly* recommend when it comes to tarot and psychology!)

[Rosebud]

@Hedera I find it quite deep but still easy to follow if you're into psychology. I haven't know yet about Tarot at a Crossroad, but you give me a good idea! I'll put that book on my list 😆

[Rosebud]

14 minutes ago, Hedera said:

I actually don't like Holistic Tarot all that much... 

 

* ducks * 

 

It is certainly the book with the most pages though! 😉

 

For me, books like '21 Ways to read a Tarot Card' by Mary K Greer and 'Tarot on Earth' by Tom Benjamin are much more valuable and unique.

 

When it comes to card meanings, '78 Degrees of Wisdom' by Rachel Pollack is much better in my opinion.

I feel the same about Holistic Tarot, too, although I find many helpful spreads from her book 😁 but I enjoy reading her blog, it's easier to read than the book

[gregory]

57 minutes ago, Hedera said:

I actually don't like Holistic Tarot all that much... 

 

 

Nor do I - stand tall !

[Nemia]

My list has changed over the last years. 

 

Tarot for Your Self by Mary K. Greer - an all-time classic, highly recommended if you want to get a personal connection to the cards. 

 

Tarot Beyond the Basics by Anthony Louis - an excellent book if you want to dive in deeper. There are sooo many books for beginners that recite card meanings... but not so many books that help you integrate astrology successfully. 

 

Ancestral Tarot by Nancy Hendrickson - if you want to use tarot to get to know your family roots, this book provides you with a good place to start. I worked through the whole book and it made my genealogical research come alive for me. 

 

Tarot Skills for the 21th Century by Josphine McCarthy - a great book I read lately. It gives esoteric AND mundane interpretations and after the many many psychologically orientated tarot books, this mundane aspect was really refreshing to read. 

 

Tarot Decoded by Elizabeth Hazel - an interesting look at the interaction of tarot cards with elements, astrology and other tarot cards. 

 

Tarot Interactions by Deborah Lipp - I read this together with Liz Hazel's book and they complemented each other quite well in my head 🙂 My reading style is narrative, and Deborah Lipp really teaches you how to achieve a better flow between the cards, especially in larger spreads. 

 

I read all these books on my kindle and didn't regret not having a hard copy at hand. 

 

But this book I didn't only buy in hard copy but really worked through it, colour-coded it with sticky notes and keep by my side all the time:

 

Tarot Correspondences by Susan Chang and the great M.M. Meleen. This book is filled with clear and wonderful diagrams and tables where you can simply get lost. As a teenager, I loved Hermann Hesse's Glass Bead Game (yes, I know, don't like this misogynistic, elitist stuff any more...) and the tarot is really and truly a glass beads game. All kinds of associations and harmonies play out in your mind when you start understanding how everything is connected and can be re-combined. 

 

 

Edited January 7, 2023 by Nemia

[Guest]

14 hours ago, Hedera said:

I actually don't like Holistic Tarot all that much... 

 

* ducks * 

 

It is certainly the book with the most pages though! 😉

 

For me, books like '21 Ways to read a Tarot Card' by Mary K Greer and 'Tarot on Earth' by Tom Benjamin are much more valuable and unique.

 

When it comes to card meanings, '78 Degrees of Wisdom' by Rachel Pollack is much better in my opinion.

 

Oh yes! Thicker than a steak but just as juicy. I've always joked that among my Tarot paperbacks, it's the only one that can also double as a blunt object, so I'm keeping it close by my bedside lol. 

 

I also have the 21 Ways, and I like it too. I find some of Pollack's ideas in 78 Degrees and Tarot Wisdom useful. Those that I can incorporate in my readings, I include in my card discussions in my 78 Weeks.

 

That is a good selection @Hedera 👍

[Chariot]

One of the things I really liked about Benebel Wen's Holistic Tarot is that it's the first book I read that dealt with the 'ethics' of tarot reading.  That's an aspect of tarot reading I hadn't considered before. Fortunately I'd not encountered any situations that were dodgy—I don't read professionally— but this book alerted me to the possibility.   Steering clear of health-related topics, death, legal issues is certainly something to consider. 

I have since encountered other books (I have lots of books!) that also deal with the ethics issue.  But her book was the first I read that dealt with ethics in any detail.  I still find that she covers most topics quite well.  Still stand by my recommendation of Holistic Tarot as the best tarot book (in terms of completeness) that I own.

[Misterei]

On 1/8/2023 at 4:26 AM, Chariot said:

One of the things I really liked about Benebel Wen's Holistic Tarot is that it's the first book I read that dealt with the 'ethics' of tarot reading … Steering clear of health-related topics, death, legal issues is certainly something to consider …

I’ve not read the Benabel Wen book … but most of my clients want to know about health, death, legal issues …

 

I go into ethics pretty extensively in my course manual … both for amateur and professional which are different sets of ethical concerns … and rather than the laundry list of thou shalt not which has become a substitute for critical thinking about ethics … what I find most lacking in the various books and blogs and whatnot … is business ethics … like undercutting, fair pricing, professional standards, and the like … which are often sorely lacking in tarotlandia.

 

I know this is getting off topic so forgive me. I’m a bit jaded that “tarot ethics” is so often reduced to a laundry list of thou shalt nots … 

Edited January 11, 2023 by Misterei

[gregory]

I used to work in a doctor's office. I take my ethics from there. Basically - confidentiality and not answering when they'd ask me about other people they saw come in last week, kind of thing. Same kind of thing as "no I will not read to see if the guy you fancy is gay...." (And - which hardly applies here on the whole - never acknowledging a patient if I met them elsewhere unless they spoke first.)

 

While I will not read on health, finance or law - that's not ethics as such, just that I haven't the expertise and I think that's dangerous without far more knowledge than you can ever have  with a tarot reading.  But I still don't like Wen's book much. It comes over very much as seeing herself as the gospel bringer.

[DanielJUK]

The idea of this thread is an pinned easy reference for what books members would recommend to others. Whilst it's fine to discuss the books and what's good and bad, we are careering off topic on a discussion about ethics. We can move the posts to a new thread about ethics or a new thread discussing Benebel's book, but let's keep this thread for book recommendations to help people looking for them 😊

[Mister]

Meditations on the Tarot: A journey into Christian Hermeticism (Monsieur outre Tombe)

One of the most 'brilliant' books on tarot I've come across. It does not deal in meanings or spreads, but there is a ton of things to digest in this tome.

You need not be of christian inclination in order to read it, an open mind suffices.

 

Tarot de Marseille (Paul Marteau, translation by Marius Høgnesen)

Once the little footnote/apology about pompousness of speech due to the limited words available and suited to discuss what he wanted to discuss has been ingested, this one is a fine read indeed.

Provides meanings, how to arrive there, and, by analogy, how to do it yourself. Spreads, also. Mighty clunky ones I find, but that need not be a concern.

 

Tarot of the Magicians (Oswald Wirth)

The French Cross is in there. I do see this book, again by analogy, as a manual on how to integrate various systems of differing similarity into one.

Provides meanings and a strong vote for diligence along trusting your own gut to the end of the book.

 

Nothing in those books above is gospel.

Additionally, I do feel that the ideas presented therein have 'inspired' a good many authors on the subject.

A huge plus: All of the authors stand by their insights without the need to claim they were the end of the ladder.

On the contrary, developing your own take on the matters discussed is encouraged.

[Chariot]

On 1/7/2023 at 3:06 PM, Nemia said:

My list has changed over the last years. 

 

 

 

Tarot Skills for the 21th Century by Josphine McCarthy - a great book I read lately. It gives esoteric AND mundane interpretations and after the many many psychologically orientated tarot books, this mundane aspect was really refreshing to read. 

 

 

I just ordered this book, based on your recommendation.  It does look very comprehensive, and I think 'mundane' is very useful.   Tarot is a method of communication with forces outwith ourselves, but the language doesn't have to be esoteric.  I nearly always lean towards a pragmatic approach to the cards, and this sound like it might really suit me. Thanks for the detailed recommendation and links.

[Nemia]

I hope you like it, please let me know what you think! 

[Flaxen]

On 1/7/2023 at 3:06 PM, Nemia said:

Tarot Skills for the 21th Century by Josphine McCarthy - a great book I read lately. It gives esoteric AND mundane interpretations and after the many many psychologically orientated tarot books, this mundane aspect was really refreshing to read

I like this one too of the more recently published tarot books. The spreads are useful and I like the focus on actual divination rather than just self-reflection. 
 

I’m another one who isn’t overly keen on Wen’s Holistic Tarot. It’s very comprehensive but I didn’t agree with all the interpretations given. 

[Mercuria]

Josephine McCarthy has recently made Tarot Skills for the 21st Century free to read online:

 

Link

 

Very generous of the author to do this. I’ve not read it myself yet but I like the look of what I’ve seen so far

[gregory]

Wow thanks for that !

[Scarlet Woodland]

3 hours ago, Mercuria said:

Josephine McCarthy has recently made Tarot Skills for the 21st Century free to read online:

 

Link

 

Very generous of the author to do this. I’ve not read it myself yet but I like the look of what I’ve seen so far

 

Ooh, I'll have to give that a read. It's on scribd as a proper ebook too, for anyone who has that and doesn't like the pdf type format