✨ There are so many tarot books out there that it’s hard to know where to begin! I will suggest below books which I have read and enjoyed, in the following categories:
Begginers
Intermediate
Advanced
Art / Coffee table books
Beginner level
“The everything tarot book” and “The only Tarot book you’ll ever need: interpret the cards that hold your future”, by Skye Alexander: both books are delightful to read, a great introduction to the arcana and the world of tarot. They are very similar, so choose one of them and go for it!“Learning the Tarot: a Tarot book for beginners“, by Joan Bunning: this book is a great reference, as it contains very detailed and easy to understand interpretations of each card. Joan is one of the great masters of the tarot and is the creator of learntarot.com. In 2019, she also released the book “The big book of tarot: how to interpret the cards and work with tarot spreads for personal growth”.“Easy Tarot: learn to read the cards once and for all”, by Josephine Ellershaw: another great reference. Comes with the Gilded Tarot, a deck by Ciro Marchetti.“The Tarot Bible: the definitive guide to the cards and spreads”, by Sarah Bartlett: excellent reference, with direct interpretations of the cards and many suggestions for spreads.“The ultimate guide to Tarot: a beginner’s guide to the cards, spreads, and revealing the mystery of the Tarot”, by Liz Dean: a very easy to read book, which explains the symbolisms of the cards as well as their connections with astrology and Kabballah.“Tarot for one: the art of reading for yourself”, by Courtney Weber: new book, with a more modern and empowering approach to the subject.“Tarot: no questions asked: mastering the art of intuitive reading”, by Theresa Reed: excellent book, written by one of my favorite tarot readers and with a preface by Rachel Pollack. Her website, “The Tarot Lady”, is one of the best tarot references online.“Kitchen Table Tarot: pull up a chair, shuffle the cards, and let’s talk tarot”, by Melissa Cynova: fun and instructive book. It really looks like a delicious tarot chat at the kitchen table. It deservedly won an important award for best debut book.“Exploring tarot using Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot: deck and book set”, by Avia Venefica: This set is my favorite as I love the Radiant tarot deck and the explanations in this book are straightforward and accessible. It’s the same content as the book “The Idiot’s Guide to Tarot”, released previously, but, let’s face it, the new title is much nicer.“The complete Tarot book: a step-by-step guide to reading the cards” by Juliet Sharman-Burke: great introduction, gets straight to the point.
Intermediate level
“78 Degrees of Wisdom: a Tarot journey to self awareness ”, by Rachel Pollack: in my opinion, the best tarot book of all time. It explains deeply the meaning of each card and it is a lesson about life itself. Written in 1978, the book was updated and re-released in 2019.“Tarot for Yourself: a workbook for the inner journey”, by Mary K. Greer: published in 1984, it is a classic which taught generations of tarot readers and is still very much relevant today. Re-released in 2019 with a preface by Benebell Wen.“Tarot for life: reading the cards for everyday guidance and growth“, by Paul Quinn: a very nice book, because to explain each card the author tells an episode of his life related to it. With a foreword by Rachel Pollack.“Tarot and the journey of the hero”, by Hajo Banzhaf: analyses the 22 major arcana using psychological and esoteric concepts. It’s a real lesson not only about the tarot, but about life and the role of each one of us here.“Confessions of a tarot reader: practical advice from this realm and beyond”, by Jane Stern: very fun book, in which, in 22 chapters – each one dedicated to one of the Major Arcana – the author talks about the cards and tells about her experience with the tarot.“The creative Tarot: a modern guide to an inspired life”, by Jessa Crispin: practical book aimed at artists and writers, with the aim of stimulating creativity through the tarot. Jessa has book, music, film and artwork recommendations for each of the 78 arcana.“Essence of the Tarot: modern reflections on ancient wisdom”, by Megan Skinner: analyzes the 22 cards of the major arcana and how each of them can support us on our journey. Also available as an audiobook, in an excellent recording.“Tarot beyond the basics: gain a deeper understanding of the meaning behind the cards”, by Anthony Louis: excellent book; as the title implies, it explains more than the basics, deepening our knowledge of the cards.“What’s Tarot got to do with it: the fool’s path to enlightenment”, by Jim Larsen: very insightful book. It analyses the spiritual meaning of the cards and brings us deep reflections about life. Also available as an audiobook.“Easy Tarot Reading: the process revealed in ten true readings”, by Josephine Ellershaw: nice book, which contains 10 “case studies” about different real-life situations. Not to be confused with the other Josephine book, “Easy Tarot”.“The easiest way to learn the Tarot – ever!!”, by Dusty White: it is an excellent book, supposedly for beginners, but I recommend it not be your first tarot book, as it is very hands-on. It has a good part of workbook, with questions and exercises about each card.“Tarot for change: using the cards for self-care, acceptance and growth”, by Jessica Dore: uses psychology, behavioral science and wisdom from different traditions in order to analyze all 78 cards, in an insightful and innovative manner. A modern classic.“Secrets of the Waite-Smith Tarot: The True Story of the World’s Most Popular Tarot”, por Marcus Katz e Tali Goodwin: for anyone like me, who is a fan of the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot, this book has a lot of explanation and behind-the-scenes information to help us better understand the cards in this tarot deck.“The pieces of you tarot: illuminating the archetypes within”, by Jim Larsen: provides deep and meaningful reflections on each card, in order for us to better understand who we are, through the tarot.
Advanced level
“The way of Tarot”, by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Marienne Costa: this is a tarot classic, by one of the most famous author on the subject. It analyses the cards of the Tarot of Marseille and the profound meanings hidden within them.“Jung and the Tarot: the Jungian path from darkness to light”, by Sallie Nichols: excellent book, focusing on the major arcana and the archetypes they represent. Uses the Tarot of Marseille as a base. The revised edition, published in 2019, has a foreword by Mary K. Greer.“The Tarot Handbook: practical applications of ancient visual symbols”, by Angeles Arrien: published in 1987, it’s a classic book by the famous cultural anthropologist specialized in symbols, myths and transcultural rites. Uses the Thoth Tarot.“The new mythic Tarot”, by Juliet Sharman-Burke and Liz Greene: analyses the 78 cards using the Greek myths and a deck by artist Giovanni Caselli. Published in 2011, this is a revised edition of the book originally published in 1986.“Meditations on the Tarot: a journey into Christian hermeticism”, by anonymous author: uses the 22 major arcana to explore deep spiritual questions. Published posthumously in 1980.“The Tarot: history, symbolism and divination”, by Robert M. Place: explore the history and symbolism of the tarot as a product of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and provides insightful information about the meaning and history of each card. Published in 2005.“The pictorial key to the Tarot”, by Arthur Waite: a classic, yet sometimes a bit cryptic to understand, this is the book that was sold with the RWS deck containing Pamela Colman Smith’s illustrations, in 1910. So it’s the source for a deeper understanding of the symbolism of the RWS tarot and some of the ideas behind the cards.“The Tarot of the bohemians: absolute key to occult science”, by Papus (a.k.a. Gérard Encausse): published in 1892, it was an influential book in its time, but now it’s somewhat difficult to follow for those who do not have previous esoteric knowledge. There’s a public domain version at Sacred Texts (https://www.sacred-texts.com/tarot/tob/index.htm)
Art / Coffee table books
“Tarot”, by Jessica Hundley: published in 2020 by the prestigious art book publisher Taschen, as part of its Library of Esoterica collection, this is a stunningly beautiful tarot book. The author rescued the history of cards from the oldest to the most modern decks, forming a visual compendium of the tarot.“Pamela Colman Smith: the untold story”, written by Stuart R. Kaplan, in collaboration with Mary K. Greer, Elizabeth Folley O’Connor and Melinda Boyd Parsons: this is much more than a book, it is a masterpiece. In this book, Stuart Kaplan, founder of US Games Systems, the company responsible for popularizing the tarot in the United States and in the world, pays a true tribute to Pamela Colman Smith, and rescues her history and her art, far beyond the tarot.“Tarot and divination cards: a visual archive”, by Laetitia Barbier: a visual compendium of tarot and fortune-telling in general, from the first documented cards, in the 15th century, to the present day. It’s a beautiful book, and it even has a preface by Rachel Pollack, author of my favorite tarot book (“78 Degrees of Wisdom”).“The history of tarot art: demystifying the art and arcana, deck by deck”, by Holly Adams Easley and Esther Joy Archer: explains the history of tarot through some of its most famous decks.
The Wheel of Tarot 