Recommended reading(s)

justin_o

Hey everyone, I'm just beginning to study tarot and I was wondering if there were any fundamental/important books that anyone would recommend to gain a deeper understanding of what each card symbolizes and a greater knowledge of spreads. I'll be starting with the Rider Waite deck (if that influences what books are recommended) and I've already read "the Tarot: history, symbolism, and divination. By Robert M. Place
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!!
 

Ace

I would recommend NOT reading too many books! Work with the cards themselves. See what they mean to YOU at the time of the reading. Don't have too many preconceived ideas of what the cards are SUPPOSED to mean and you will see much clearer.

Having said that (and I DO think that is best) my brain is kicking me to add: if you MUST read a book to go with the Rider-Waite (called here RWS) read the Pictorial Key to the Tarot or 78 keys of wisdom for more in depth analysis.

barb
 

Achlys

I would recommend NOT reading too many books! Work with the cards themselves. See what they mean to YOU at the time of the reading. Don't have too many preconceived ideas of what the cards are SUPPOSED to mean and you will see much clearer.

Agreed with this. It's best to try to form your own meanings of the cards first and then refer to guidebooks if you're looking for more in-depth detail.
A good book for starting out, imo, is 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card by Mary K. Greer. It's a great tool for looking at the cards to find meanings and there are a lot of different exercises that can teach you without preaching at you to read tarot.
 

Cocobird55

The Place book is excellent -- you started out with one of the best.
 

bradford

If I had to narrow them down to just a small armload:
The Joan Bunning book is free online (but don't take her swords too seriously).
Pollack's 78 Degrees (two books) good for starters too, but don't bother with her other ones.
Gail Fairfield's Choice Centered Tarot is worthwhile.
The Tarot by Alfred Douglas is decent,
Lon Milo DuQuette has a good intro to the Crowley tarot
Eden Gray's is more influential than deep.
Waite gets the Trumps but doesn't understand the pips or court
Mary Greer's 21 Ways and Understanding the Tarot Court are decent
Louis Anthony's Tarot Plain and Simple is worthwhile, but he confuses number symbolism with numerology.
Jana Riley and Bill Butler both have books that summarize what many others have to say.
 

Redfaery

If you're using the RWS the Pictorial Key would be valuable to have, if only for understanding the milieu the deck was created in. As for books to help learn reading skills, Anthony Louis' "Tarot Plain and Simple" is wonderful.
 

Late Starter

I enjoyed The New Tarot Handbook by Rachel Pollack. It is a very nice introduction to the cards.