Increasing My Tarot Library

I'm slowly building my tarot library. I have some of the basics. I always try to buy kits when they're available so I have the companion books. But I don't want to have to buy every book out there. I much prefer quality over quantity. So my question is, for those that have been tarotists for far longer than I have been (I think I came to tarot only 6 years ago), are the following worth adding to my meager collection? Do they offer good insights or methods?


The first book: A Wicked Pack of Cards - I've had this on my wish list for a long long time, but we all know it's out of print. BUT I see another book by Ronald Decker to be released at the end of December, A History of the Occult Tarot. Is this newer book to replace A Wicked Pack of Cards? Should I hold out until December? Is either worth having?

The second book: Tarot Decoded by Elizabeth Hazel.

The third book: Tarot of the Magicians by Oswald Wirth.

The fourth book: Women of the Golden Dawn by Mary Greer.

There are a few of you on here who I'm sure have every tarot book ever printed. If you've actually read any of these, your input would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance for taking the time.

My favorite book is Mary Greer's _Women of the Golden Dawn_! It's an amazing piece of research and reads like a novel. You really feel that you know these women. It's a book I re-read every 2 or 3 years.

Is it essential? Perhaps not, but is is a wonderful read!

Thanks Asher. I've put it back in my cart. I know it doesn't directly relate to tarot but still seems relevant.

Can anyone else give me some insight into the books I've mentioned?

I can tell you about and recommend two of them.

Tarot Decoded is a guide to using dignities in reading the cards. I evolved something of my own system over the years (I don't read reversals, but use the "compatibility" of the cards surrounding the one in question to shade the meaning over the reversed-to-upright continuum). Hazel discusses a few "systems" of dignities -- though some get more coverage than others -- including elemental, astrological/planetary, and numeric. These, singly or in combination, can add surprising depth to a reading.

Tarot of the Magicians is an interesting look from a late nineteenth-early twentieth century view, somewhere between Eliphas Levi and Golden Dawn. Wirth only designed/redesigned the trumps, but the discussion is very much in a magickal, alchemical, and initiatory vein, less so in the divinatory use of the cards. It gave me some interesting things to think about (and my principal interest is from the magickal end). The style is definitely Victorian and can be a bit heavy going at times, but I took quite a bit away from it. And Wirth's Fool replaces the dog with a lynx -- that pleases me.

Neither is particularly costly, I find both are useful additions to one's reference shelf.

I might also suggest Robert Wang's The Qabalistic Tarot, Crowley's Book of Thoth, and Liber Theta (free PDF download).

Women of the Golden Dawn is special. It isn't directly Tarot, but it is a wonderful read. And Mary Greer is a stellar writer - get some of her other books too.

Of the others - I am very fond of A Wicked Pack of Cards...

devilkitty said:

I can tell you about and recommend two of them.

Tarot Decoded is a guide to using dignities in reading the cards. I evolved something of my own system over the years (I don't read reversals, but use the "compatibility" of the cards surrounding the one in question to shade the meaning over the reversed-to-upright continuum). Hazel discusses a few "systems" of dignities -- though some get more coverage than others -- including elemental, astrological/planetary, and numeric. These, singly or in combination, can add surprising depth to a reading.

Tarot of the Magicians is an interesting look from a late nineteenth-early twentieth century view, somewhere between Eliphas Levi and Golden Dawn. Wirth only designed/redesigned the trumps, but the discussion is very much in a magickal, alchemical, and initiatory vein, less so in the divinatory use of the cards. It gave me some interesting things to think about (and my principal interest is from the magickal end). The style is definitely Victorian and can be a bit heavy going at times, but I took quite a bit away from it. And Wirth's Fool replaces the dog with a lynx -- that pleases me.

Neither is particularly costly, I find both are useful additions to one's reference shelf.

Click to expand...

Thank you for this, devilkitty. Back into my shopping cart they go.

devilkitty said:

I might also suggest Robert Wang's The Qabalistic Tarot, Crowley's Book of Thoth, and Liber Theta (free PDF download).

Click to expand...

I'm not quite ready for that big plunge into the tarot deep end but I'll keep those on a wishlist for down the road. Thank you.

I move slowly, verrrrry slowly.

gregory said:

Women of the Golden Dawn is special. It isn't directly Tarot, but it is a wonderful read. And Mary Greer is a stellar writer - get some of her other books too.

Of the others - I am very fond of A Wicked Pack of Cards...

Click to expand...

Thank you, Gregory. I do have some of Mary Greer's other books already. Tarot for Your Self and 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card come to mind.

I so want A Wicked Pack of Cards but after doing a little more research, I'm going to wait for Decker's other book to be released at the end of December. Hopefully that will be an updated version of the same materieal.

Thank you all again for sharing your views.

You know I can never resist a chance at shameless self-promotion!

For just flat-out basic explanations for the four questions all questions derive from (Money, Love, Job, Future) I recommend my first book "It's All in the Cards; Tarot Reading Made Easy". 12,000+ plus sales can't all be wrong!

For a male-centric understanding of the cards, I recommend my book "Every Man's Tarot: Tarot and the Male Experience." The cards are discussed in essay format from the male standpoint of how life is seen; no white knights rushing to bring you a love token here - and no men in tights! It also has a companion deck ("The Everyman Tarot") available on Game Crafter.

Both books (my non-tarot ones, too!) are available in paper from Amazon and also available on Kindle.

*cough* YOU'RE the one who wrote that? I find your book is an easy quick reference guide to the cards. I love it.

Just thought I'd let you know.

Ermmm...

Oh hi, TB!

I already have both of them. But thanks for the suggestion!

The books I mentioned in my original post are books I've been looking at for some time now.

There's nothing wrong with a little shameless self-promotion though.