Thoth Books: Snuffin vs. DuQuette

[Cassandra022]

Thanks for your opinions/input all, much appreciated. Still not sure which I'm going to go with (really do only want one right now...I have enough of a so much to do/so much to read/so little time dilemma already, lol) but it's def good to be able to hear your thoughts :]

[closrapexa]

I would go (and did!) with DuQuette. I disagree with what others have said about his book being good for context and background, but not for actual readings. It is true that he does not go "this means this, so the card means that." While his book does not offer anything the BoT doesn't, that's the whole point. He seeks to make it simpler and more accessible, but like the BoT and the deck itself, there is no spoonfeeing involved. Through knowledge of what goes into the make of the card, one can then formulate one`s own meanings. This is far superior, to my mind, than the Snuffin and others` "meaning books." Learn by understanding, not by rote. Difficult? Yes. Time consuming? Yep. But take your time, it`s worth it.

I get the criticism towards DuQuette`s book though. It is not exhaustive and cannot contain everything you need to know about the Thoth, and it is by necessity a little simplified. But that I don't see as a flaw, but a feature. It is also not the end-all authority, nor does it claim to be, but rather an excellent springboard both for ideas and further study.

[Shade]

I have not read Snuffin so I am not qualified to weigh in on a comparison but I do really enjoy DuQuette's book. I thought of it more as a guide to the the actual Book of Thoth than the Thoth Tarot itself. I read it cover to cover and thoroughly enjoyed both his insights and his true appreciation of Crowley. As far as teaching the cards I feel like my takeaway from the book was that he teaches "how" to read with the Thoth deck rather than what each individual card means. As an example I learned to see that in Crowley's view the purer closer the minor card was to Kether (aces, twos threes) the more positive the indications and the closer to Malkuth (eights, nines, tens) the more troublesome the interpretation.

Also he is hilarious.

[Cerulean]

My husband exchanges used paperbacks for fun reads.
He keeps e,books for reference.

I try to digitize very old references for a laptop that I will male notes on, etc.

Some people keep Duquette as a reference. I enjoy the personal touches, feel they are easier guides for fun.

Hope you enjoy them.

Originally Posted by Cassandra022

So I kind of have the two extremes when it comes to Thoth study books: Crowley's Book of Thoth (which I am slowly making my way through, given current life time constraints. It is interesting background reading but not so relevant to reading with the cards directly, for me...) and the Banzhaf Keywords book (dead useful in familiarizing myself with the basics of symbolism while still reading my normal intutivish way, also dead useful to consult when time is limited). Kind of want to get something in between, heavier reading that actually relevant to reading with the cards, for after this current barely sleeping for days on end school nuttiness subsides...

I was planning on getting the DuQuette book, but I recently just succumbed to getting an ereader, finally, and so tempted to get the Snuffin, because there is a kindle version of that, so I can mix it up a bit by having on of the books in e-form and the others in physical...but if DuQuette is really significantly better/more useful, I can just wait and get that and have paper, no problemo...

Sorry if this is rambly, aforementioned shortness of sleep, er. Basically, my question...for those who have used/read both, or I suppose either, which did you find to be more useful/if you were only to get one, which would you go with, and why?

[Mallah]

Well this thread's been quiet for awhile, but i just found it, and noticed that no one adressed the "Kindle" issue.

I got a kindle for my b'day....(for myself...I've learned to always get myself a little bday goodie, so I get something I really want...)

I love my Kindle, but find that books I really want to "STUDY" are usually sort of a loss on the K.

Kindles are for novels. Period. At least at the moment. Often the formatting leaves much to be desired, if it's there at all. So it's great for a book you want to start at the beginning and read straight thru. Like I said, the novel. But for these books you want to jump around in they can be sort of frustrating.

However the price is usually better. One thing you can do is get a book on the Kindle and read it straight thru, and then decide...ok, is this one of THOSE books where I'm going to be referring to it all the time and pulling it down off the shelf to look things up? If so, then go out and buy the hardcopy. Yes, you've spent even more that way...but how many books actually end up being true refrences? Not that many, for me...they are fewer, and so I end up saving in the long run I think, b/c I'm not spending the higher price for a book that's going to sit on the shelf. Usually with these books i read them straight thru to get the overview...the Kindle is good for that. But when you start jumping around, you are going to want the old school version.

DuQuette is not going to be a reference book for me. Book of Thoth would be. (BoT is not yet available for the Kindle, but I'd never buy it that way, b/c of the above mentioned reasons...) I haven't read the other book, so I can't compare them; but if I was going to, I'd probably spring for the Kindle version, b/c then I get the info, that one time, and it didn't cost as much. If I really like it and can't live without it, I'd go get the book. That probably only happens one book in 50, though.

I highly expect the formatting issues to get better as time goes by; it would be great to see nonfiction books all hyperlinked up so you could jump around. A lot of times, you go to the index, and it's just like a .pdf with no links. I even have some indexes with no page numbers...a totally useless thing in a kindle. You have to "search" for something and then weed thru the hits you get to find what you are looking for.

[magpie9]

Glad to find this thread here...I've been wondering about the Snuffin. I have DuQuette..funny funny man, but find Branzhaf's keys the more useful. Wanlass (of the Voyager) has a beginning card by card book on Thoth symbolism that I really like, but it's just the ABC's. I don't care for the Book of Thoth...the posturing gets to me. It makes me want to whack Uncle Al upside the head. I think I'll take a nice look at Snuffin, it may be just the thing. Thanks, guys!