Welcome to Biddy Tarot. My name is Biddy and I am a certified professional Tarot reader based in Melbourne, Australia. I provide accurate and ethical online Tarot card readings to hundreds of international clients. My Tarot Card Meanings database and Tarot eBook are two of the most popular Tarot resources on the internet. MORE...Best Tarot Books for Beginners
Learning the Tarot often starts with studying as many different Tarot books as possible, so that you can begin to build up your knowledge of the Tarot card meanings and learn how to read Tarot. But, with so many Tarot books on the market, where do you begin?!
Below are the books I most recommend to beginner Tarot readers. These books are great as general reference guides for the Tarot novice!
Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Tarot by Mark McElroy
This is a straight-forward and practical guide to reading the Tarot cards, suitable for all Tarot beginners. It also includes tips on how to set yourself up as a Tarot reader, including selecting a deck, finding additional Tarot resources and drawing your own insights from the cards.
Learning the Tarot by Joan Bunning
One of the first places I started when I was learning the Tarot card meanings was Joan Bunning’s Learn Tarot website. Here, she provides practical interpretations of the 78 Tarot cards and 19 lessons on how to read the cards. Her book captures all of this information in the one resource and is an excellent starting point for any beginner.
Mastering the Tarot by Paul Fenton-Smith
While this book is pitched towards the more experienced and/or professional Tarot reader, the Tarot card meanings provided are very practical and offer real-life examples to further the reader’s understanding. What I love most about this book are the reversed Tarot card meanings and the way in which Paul Fenton-Smith uses the principle of returning to the energy of the previous card so as to avoid any unwanted consequences of the reversed card. Mastering the Tarot also provides tips and techniques for the professional Tarot reader—even if you’re not reading professionally, these tips may be useful for polishing your Tarot reading skills and style.
Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack
This book is often referred to as the “Tarot bible” for its extensive insights into the Tarot cards. Rachel Pollack draws on both the traditional symbolism of the cards and the more modern psychological aspects of the cards to help the reader truly appreciate the deeper meaning of the Tarot. This is a must-read for all Tarot readers. For the beginner, I would recommend first building a broad understanding of the cards before delving into the deeper meanings with this book.
Tarot Card Meanings eBook by Biddy
Yes, it is a shameless plug! My eBook provides over 150 pages of Tarot card meanings, tips and techniques to help you learn the Tarot cards. I have drawn together many different interpretations of the Tarot cards, including upright and reversed Tarot card meanings. I also include tips on how to read reversed Tarot cards, use a Tarot journal and combine numerology with Tarot.
Tarot for Your Self by Mary K Greer
This is an oldie but a goodie! Mary K Greer is one of the gurus of Tarot and in her book, Tarot for Your Self, she has created something more like a workbook or Tarot journal which includes meditations, rituals, spreads, mandalas, visualisations, dialogues, charts, astrology, numerology, affirmations and healing all designed to allow you to experience Tarot for yourself in a hands-on way. This book is an excellent learning tool for those who are new to Tarot as well as the advanced practitioner.
The Tarot Revealed: A Beginner’s Guide by Paul Fenton-Smith
Similar to Mastering the Tarot, The Tarot Revealed provides practical interpretations of the Tarot cards with real-life examples, but this time it is pitched towards Tarot beginners. Paul Fenton-Smith helps to interpret the cards, without needing to understand the more esoteric concepts that are often related to the cards.
Tags: Books, Reading Tarot