Top 10 Books for a Well-Rounded Tarot Library

I would recommend:

Tarot and Psychology by Art Rosengarten
Tarot Reversals by Mary Greer
Tarosophy by Marcus Katz
Jung and Tarot by Sallie Nichols
Tarot; History, Symbolism, and Divination by Robert Place
Tarot Spreads by Barbara Moore
Tarot 101 by Kim Huggins

Silverlyn said:

Imo: EveryDay Tarot by Gail Fairfield would be on my list of Top Ten. And of course the Joan Bunning Tarot books.

Gail's book goes into the meaning of numbers and reading intuitively and she writes in short, simple statements making it easier to remember the cards meanings!

Also AT's Thirteen's Tarot Meanings should be there, too! Talk about writing in a simple, easy-to-understand-and-remember....

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The Gail Fairfield book is a very good succinct reference. I have only seen this book once and was glad I bought it the one time I did see it.

The Tarot Book by Jana Riley is definite must have that I seldom see in stores but seems readily avalable online.

The Tarot Unveiled and Tarot Wisdom by Rachel Pollack. The first one seems to be geared towards a younger audience, but I like her approach in this one sometimes better than in her other books.

Tarot for Life by Paul Quinn.

SarahJoy said:

You recommend the companion book to the Tarot Illuminati -- is it that useful, even if a person doesn't have/want the deck?

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Absolutely. It was written by Kim Huggens and includes some interesting insights into tarot history.

1. A Wicked Pack of Cards: Origins of the Occult Tarot- Dummett and Decker (OOP)
2. A History of the Occult tarot- Dummett and Decker (OOP)
3. Tarot: History, Symbolism and Divination- Place
4. Mystical Origins of the Tarot: From Ancient Roots to Modern Uses- Huson
5. The Game of Tarot- Dummett and Mann (OOP)
6. The Book of Thoth- Crowley
7. The Pictorial Key to the Tarot- Waite
8. The Complete Guide to the Tarot- Grey
9. 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card - Greer
10. Tarot Decoded- Understanding and Using Dignities and Correspondences- Hazel

And if I could have 11:

Reading the Marseille Tarot- Jean-Michel David


If I were only allowed 10 books- this would be it. IMHO- these form the backbone for any serious study, and really anything beyond just re-hashes the same material.

Here is the compiled list, as of now, arranged by number of recommendations, then author:


21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card, by Mary K Greer (4 votes)

EveryDay Tarot, by Gail Fairfield (3 votes)
Tarot: History, Symbolism and Divination, by Robert Place (3 votes)
78 Degrees of Wisdom, by Rachel Pollack (3 votes)
Pictures from the Heart, by Sandra Thomson (3 votes)

The Book of Thoth, by Aleister Crowley (2 votes)
A Wicked Pack of Cards: Origins of The Occult Tarot, by Ronald Decker (OOP) (2 Votes)
Understanding the Tarot Court, by Mary K Greer (2 votes)
Tarot 101, by Kim Huggens (2 votes)
Tarot Spreads: Layouts and Techniques to Empower your Readings, by Barbara Moore (2 votes)
Tarot for Life, by Paul Quinn (2 votes)
Tarot Tells the Tale, by James Ricklef (2 votes)
Thirteen's Tarot Meanings ebook (2 votes)
The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, by A. E. Waite (2 votes)

Books which were only suggested once are not on this list.

Tarosophy: Tarot to Engage Life not Escape it - Marcus Katz
Learning The Tarot - Joan Bunning
Tarot Reversals - Mary K Greer
Tarot and the Journey of the Hero - Hajo Banzhaf
The Tarot Revealed - Paul Fenton-Smith
Tarot and Astrology - Corrine Kenner
Tarot Decoded: Understanding and using dignities and correspondences - Elizabeth Hazel
Jung and Tarot : An Archetypal Journey - Sallie Nichols
Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom - Rachel Pollack
Tarot and the Tree of Life - Isabel Radow Kliegman

I only have a couple, not a full ten, but I'm particularly fond of "Spiritual Tarot: Seventy-eight Paths to Personal Development" by Signe E. Echols and "Tarot Awareness: Exploring the Spiritual Path" by Stephen Walter Sterling; haven't seen them mentioned here yet.


Furthermore, I like the companion book to the Legacy of the Divine Tarot; it's called "Gateway to the Divine Tarot." A lot of interesting interpretations of the cards in there.

The tarot book I return to again and again is 'Tarot Wisdom' by Rachel Pollack. I love that book. I have several on the shelf, but 'Tarot Wisdom' is my favourite.

I'm not making a list, but I'm surprised this hasn't been included.

Kaplans encyclopedia of Tarot, Vol I-IIII. Much history & detail not easily found elsewhere.

Tarot Plain and Simple

I had more than one, but this is the one I started with and now the only one I still have as far as definitions of the cards. I found it gave me just enough of a jump start. For me, less is more and I liked how it was laid out. I know there are other great books out there, I think it comes down to which one resonates with you personally.