The Key to the Tarot

I am thinking of ordering a tarot deck for my sixteen yr old nephew. I was wondering if The Key to the Tarot by Arthur Edward Waite. Was a good starting point if i should by the deck and the book together. Or should i buy him another book. He likes my tarot cards. But never has had a deck himself. Nor does he know how to do a reading. What would you recommend.

i think it's a good starting point b/c so many tarot books in print seem to evolve in some way towards this book and deck. i think there is a list of good beginner books listed in the tarot books and media section. i would say that joan bunning's learning the tarot is excellent. you can download it for free off her website. i don't have it in my tarot links but i'm certain that some kind soul here has it. another thing to bear in mind is not everyone is a fan of the rws deck. there are several rws clones out there w/ varying degrees of popularity that he may like better than the original. if this is for xmas then go for it. later, he might choose something he likes better if he really gets into tarot.

for beginners, my fav decks are hanson roberts, universal waite by hanson roberts, mythic, robin wood, hoi polloi(OOP), hallloween, cosmic, aquarian, morgan greer, bota, tarot of a moon garden, zerner farber or enchanted, and the sharman burke casselli book deck set. i think my current personal beginner fav is the sharman burke casselli set. i think it's called the beginner's tarot. the book is excellent and easy to use. the deck is nice and corresponds with its own form of the rws. i prefer this to waite's deck set but this is just me.

Irrespective of the deck, Waite's book, I think, is quite poor and relatively uninteresting for beginners - it also leaves more explanations out than in.

I would suggest looking at Phoenix's sticky at the top of this Forum and choose a book listed therein (even if I would choose differently ).

Why not wander around in the Tarot section of a local bookstore together, and see what he's drawn towards? Could be surprising for the both of you.
I've done this with various people, paying special attention to what they choose as compared to what I would guess they'd choose. Sometimes I guess right, and other times I'm way off.
This would give you a few clues as to whether you're choosing the right gift.

Actually, and I know it sounds silly, but the Tarot for Dummies or the Complete Idiot's Guide to Tarot are very good. These books would be great for a beginner.

There's also a book called Tarot for Beginners which is good, I can't remember the author, but I found it in my library in tradeback, so it's under $20 and is quite easy to follow. If he wasn't a beginner I'd recommend 78 Degrees of Wisdom, but that's sort of thick to plow through for someone totally new at it.

Check out the deck pictures on the main Aeclectic site & see if the cards there look like they might be interesting for the boy. Some of the decks minor cards can be pretty boring on a few--the more interesting the cards, the easier he'll have of remembering what they mean.

I'll give my usual recommendation: Tarot for a New Generation. It's geared toward a younger audience but it's great for anyone!

Kes

Yeah, avoid Waite's book for the reasons JMD mentioned. _Tarot For A New Generation_ would be among my general
recommendations for a teen, as part of a present. BTW- what deck are giving your nephew?


Laurel

The Key to they Tarot

I am getting him the same one that i have just got. The Rider Tarot. Or the Rider Waite Tarot. Depending on which one i get this time. Remeber, i wanted the RWT and recieved the Rt.

Wicca, just so you know, the Rider Tarot is the Rider Waite Tarot.

I own what i think could be a great book for beginners,
it is by Hajo Benzhaf and I'm not sure about the title in english but the original german title is: Das Arbeitsbuch zum Tarot. Which means as much as workbook for tarot.
It is all about one spread, but for every card the meanings for all the positions are given and that makes it very easy to get to know the cards.