Top Ten essential tarot titles

This is a great thread. I've been meaning to ask this question myself. All the books I have seem to be either way too complex and 'yawn inspiring', or so elementary, I don't get much out of them. Sorry to not be able to add any additional texts. Out of your selections, which one wold you recommend if you could only afford one book?

Should I post this somewhere else?

sapienza said:

Thanks, I use the Ancient Italian so thought I'd just check

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I don't see why you couldn't use these books with that deck. It's basically a refined Marseilles.

sapienza said:

Thanks, I use the Ancient Italian so thought I'd just check

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An Illustrated Guide to the Tarot by Jonathan Dee..actually uses the Ancient Italian as illustrations for the book.

Pollacks 78 degrees is very heavy on the Rider-Waite symbolism isn't it? That's something I hadn't thought of, which is crazy. For me in that case maybe books that are deck specific like the Rider, Greenwood, etc. shouldn't be in the top 10. But the Marseilles, I think one book dedicated to the Marseilles may be a good idea for the top ten list because the Marseilles was the beginning of it all...

jcwirish said:

Out of your selections, which one wold you recommend if you could only afford one book?

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If you can only afford one book then I would chose Greer's 21 ways to read a Tarot card. And then check out the rest from the library and take notes! Books are cool, but you don't need a huge library to read effectively and learn Tarot. I only had maybe two books at most for the longest time! (78 degrees of Wisdom and 21 ways)

Thanks Minrice.

jcwirish said:

Out of your selections, which one wold you recommend if you could only afford one book?

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I'd probably say Paul Huson's 'Mystical Origins' just because it covers a lot of ground and it such a handy reference.

Le Fanu said:

What about the latest Rachel Pollock book, Tarot Wisdom? Ive been drawn to this one...

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Quite simply - get it! Rachel says its 78 Degrees updated to include all she has learned in her long tarot career. It's very readable, enjoyable and absolutely worth every penny. It would certainly go in my top ten general titles... (in place of 78 Degrees).

My Top 10 Tarot Tomes!!! (As of October 2009)

1. Spiritual Tarot: 78 Paths to Personal Development by Signe E. Echols, Robert Mueller and Sandra Thomson (1996)

2. Tarot and Psychology: Spectrums of Possibility by Arthur Rosengarten (2000)

3. 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card by Mary K. Greer (2006)

4. Seeker: The Tarot Unveiled by Rachel Pollack (2005)

5. The Complete Book of Tarot Reversals by Mary K. Greer (2002)

6. Learning Tarot Reversals by Joan Bunning (2003)

7. Tarot Plain and Simple by Anthony Louis (2002)

8. The Tarot Court Cards: Archetypal Patterns of Relationship in the Minor Arcana by Kate Warwick-Smith (2003)

9. Tarot Mirrors: Reflections of Personal Meaning by Mary K. Greer (1988)

10. A Grimoire of Tarot Magic by Druanna Johnston (2006)

sapienza said:

Tarot: History, Symbolism & Divination - Robert Place
Mystical Origins of the Tarot - Paul Huson
A Renaissance Tarot - Brian Williams (companion to Renaissance Tarot, but an excellent book in it's own right).

I also like Mary Greer's 'Tarot for Your Self', and agree that 'Tarot Plain and Simple' is a handy reference. Also the first half of 'Art and Arcana', which is the companion for the Medieval Scapini, written by Decker is packed with excellent info.

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I've just started 'Tarot Symbolism' by Robert O'Neill, but I suspect it's going to be a great read

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Per Sapienza, also:
Underground Stream - Christine Payne-Towler
Game of Life - Leary
The Tarot - Alfred Douglas
The Tarot - Richard Cavendish
Pythagorean Tarot - Opsopaus
The Secrets of the Tarot - Barbara Walker

Some great recommendations here, folks. So many books I just didn't know!

Keep posting!