Tarot For Dummies! (quick,basic edition)

I have to preface this first by saying that I received this a joke gift from an old friend, and that really, I don't have...or read.... that many books about tarot.

This is a small digest paperback version of what I believe is a small example of a much bigger volume, a mere 90 page thing, written by Amber Jayanti.

And I gotta say...what a great little book about tarot!

I guess when you aren't expecting much, then something that has any kind of value at all will just sort of sneak up on you in the dark and whisper "boo".

It covers basics, of course, and stuff for beginners. I imagine that the actual large (300 page) edition covers a hellava lot more.

But I love any book that eloquently explains some esoteric things with humor and great style.
This one does that.
I especially liked the final chapter...the 10 cards most likely to cause a freak out. It made me laugh in recognition of many many readings I have done in the past for first timers.

I am wondering now if it's worth plunking down the money to get the full edition.
Who here has it? anyone think it worthwhile?
Not that I really need a tarot book, since I rarely read them...but I really like what I saw in this mini edition!

I've never read the "mini" version you're speaking of, but I do, in fact, own the full version, and I have to say that I love it. Even though I have many other books (which I rarely ever read, unless I'm curious about a specific aspect of what I'm doing), I really like the light and approachable way that Tarot for Dummies approaches things. It really does "dumb" a lot down, and not in a bad way, either!

It makes things understandable in a way that a lot of other books don't. I think some authors like to see just how much they can confuse us before our heads spin round and we spit pea soup. I also really like the section of the book that talks about the elements of a good reading. I really feel like it opened my eyes to the perspective of the sitter, and it's made me more aware of what I need to strive to do during the course of my readings.

Overall, I think it's very worth the money.

Thanks promise! That's what I was hoping!

It's not like I really need a tarot book...as I have gotten along for the past 20 years without one...but sometimes, someone will word something just right, that makes you stop and think about things in a totally new way.

I know what you mean about other esoteric books...they are sooooo full of self righteousy enigmas on the fact that you are tackling this "mysterious occult" subject, that they never really get around to telling you anything useful.

I will keep a look out for it, next time I'm in a bookstore!

Also . . .

I also received this little book, although as a "serious" gift from an adult. I just dumped it in the trash bucket after our guests left. Never did look at it, so I can't comment on it. I thought it absurd that anyone would think a $5 book would be of benefit to anyone having a long-standing and deep interest in a subject. I had done several deep readings in this person's presence. Dave

They may be the best books on the planet but I'll never allow anything in my house that calls me a dummy.
Honestly...I've worked very hard to turn my negative brain into a positive thinker and it's made a huge difference in my life.

I think I saw the mini version in, of all places, Wal-Mart I didn't get it, so I can't say how it is.

Never judge a book by its cover, or its title. I have the full version of this book, and although I have been reading Tarot for many years and don't ever consider myself a dummy, I found a lot of useful tidbits in it.

Another book worth looking at is Oracles for Dummies. For some reason it uses the currently out-of-print Goddess Oracle by Amy Sophia Marashinsky and Hrana Janto for most of the examples. (This deck may be back in print now though, I'm not entirely sure.) Anyway, it is full of lots of good information too, much of which is applicable to Tarot readers as well.

dadsnook2000 said:

I also received this little book, although as a "serious" gift from an adult. I just dumped it in the trash bucket after our guests left. ... Dave

Click to expand...

Don't dump anything tarot related! Next time trade it, or give it away. Not that I necessarily would have wanted it (although I'm curious after reading these posts), but I'm sure someone out there would have.

I'm just discovering the magic of giving and trading on Aeclectic!

Our local library has the unabridged version. The "Dummies" series of books on the whole seem pretty good. If I wanted to explain to a beginner what tarot was, common misconceptions and fallacies I think I could just hand them this book. I did not read it, but I browsed it. I saw nothing I should not like in it and sometimes going back to basics (foundation stuff) can help remind us of things we have forgotten as we developed into our reading styles and focused our visions. Books like this can help remind us of the broader picture again. Besides the dummies series are written in a amusing but educational light and everyone enjoys a chuckle ( I hope )

I did read "astrology for dummies" as someone who knew very little about Astrology I found the book fascinating. You just have to get by the horrible tittle.

Back in the nineties, one of those close-out type stores was selling the Idiot's Guide books for $.99 each. I bought up a slew of them to sell at a profit on Ebay. One of the titles was The Complete Idiot's Guide to Tarot and Fortune-telling (or something like that.) I picked it up to leaf through it, and decided to keep it. It was chock full of information, not only on Tarot, but on many other forms of divination...numerology, palmistry, astrology...

Excellent book. I like all the Dummies books and Idiot's Guide books. They deliver information at an elementary level...and many that I've read provide very good beginners' info. (I learned html from one of them, as well.)