The prices of Books on Tarot

The Happy Squirrel

I have to let go of some tarot books recently. As I researched what should be a fair price, I noticed how even well researched, well written, deeply thought out books are selling for relatively low prices. At least in Amazon some of them are listed for the price of a deck of cards and some even less. I think books are windows to a whole other world waiting to be discovered. I think learning is a virtue. And I advertised my asking prices, I felt a little sad. Not for me, but for those who dedicate their lives, or at least spent a significant amount of their time pouring over the study and research of tarot so the rest of us can grow in it. From what I can see, a reasonable number of us are willing to spend a bit of money on decks or handbooks which accompanied some decks. But come to stand alone highly informative books, the expected prices for what is acceptable for them dropped considerably. Granted that these books aren't as pretty as some decks out there, don't you think it is important for us to better acknowledge the values of these embodiment of transmissions of knowledge, e-books or otherwise, in relation to other things we are willing to spend our money on? Don't you think writers need to earn a living as much as deck designers and tarot readers?
 

daenys

It's not just tarot books. While competition exists, the turnover of companies such as Amazon and Book Depository means they are able to sell any book at lower prices. The economies of scale and all that.

As a consumer, I'm not complaining. Lower prices means the information is more accessible to all.
 

gregory

I don't know about everyone else, but much of what I acquire is bought used . Neither artist nor writer gets a penny out of the sales of used materials, but a book, once read, may not have the same need to be kept. Selling on a used deck is a very different thing. Buying a new book is something of a rare event for me, when they are to be had used. It's life, I'm afraid.
 

AJ

I bought mine used also. I knew not many would be forever keepers, and I could see even here that books don't sell well.

Same with gardening books and cook books etc.

looking at my desk bookcase, I see I've kept exactly three rws and six thoth. And many many have passed through my hands
 

Desecrated

Most of them are cheap paperback, they never retain any value.
 

daenys

I bought mine used also. I knew not many would be forever keepers, and I could see even here that books don't sell well.

Same with gardening books and cook books etc.

looking at my desk bookcase, I see I've kept exactly three rws and six thoth. And many many have passed through my hands

Which three RWS? I'm new to the tarot and in need of recommendations.
 

AJ

I don't think I've said Welcome to AT! Glad to have you here

The Heart of the tarot by Thomson, Mueller, and Echols
Spiritual Tarot by the same groups of authors

The 3rd I was thinking was RWS based is Heart of Tarot by Ruth Souther. I don't know yet if this will be a keeper, it is a workbook and I haven't take time yet to work the book :) It is Thoth based which I'd forgotten.
 

daenys

Thanks AJ. Another two for my list...
 

The Happy Squirrel

Most of them are cheap paperback, they never retain any value.


Should the value of a book lies in its content? I guess this is where I am going with this. Not that I am complaining that books are too cheap. It is more about whether written work and written mode of knowledge transmission in tarot is undervalued or just under-developed. I am not making a statement, it is a question.
 

g4nymede

i don't necessarily think it's a bad thing - as books get more easily and cheaply made, they overall get cheaper. used books are even cheaper than that because they've been, well, used, and even if they're in mint condition they're still used.