The Complete Idiot's Guide to Tarot

by Arlene Tognetti

Now updated and revised, this guide to how a Tarot deck is used to reveal one's destiny is an informative overview for longtime practitioners and a clear introduction for New Age explorers.

Genres: Tarot, Reference, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Paganism, Divination, Wicca

565 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2003

Reviews

[~☆~Autumn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very helpful if you are interested in Tarot.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, honestly I did not read all the way through. I took what I could from this book, as it was on two-week loan from a friend. The author's presented history on the tarot was the fanciful at best, and not the narrative that I personally subscribe to. I think it's a good starting point for beginners (although there are better resources out there). There was a lot of do-this don't-do-that in this book which I found to be somewhat misinformed and at times dogmatic. Again I can't say to much because I didn't read the whole thing.

There were good prompts for your tarot journal and some pretty well-rounded spreads. I definitely would refrain from taking too many of the authors claims as the be all end all of tarot and encourage readers to formulate their own ritual practices, techniques, and ethics that work for them, but over all this book does provide and adequate starting point and a good refresher for more experienced readers.

[Roya · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a thick book, but you can find more detailed resources online. The explanations for the cards are very short and hardly touch the heavy symbolism on each card. This book aims to be more interactive. Often the exercises want you to pull out your cards and just write what you think it means. So that means you learn to read more intuitively instead of learning the more universal meanings of the cards. I personally want to learn the standard meanings first and then let my intuition build on that, not the other way around.

[Challa Fletcher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. I will be buying my own copy.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time I use this book to read the cards for my friends (I use the Shadowscapes deck, art by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law), definitions are alway spot on. 10/10 will absolutely continue using.

[Stacey Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good if you are just beginning tarot study but relies heavily on keywords for card descriptions. It does deal with different exercises to help with interpretation but they are limited and the book only really covers using the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, only talking about other decks briefly. However, it does offer a wide range of spreads for the reader to try out.

In my opinion, 21 Ways To Read A Tarot Card by Mary K Greer is a better book for assisting you with ways to interpret cards, and A Complete Tarot Reader by Teresa Michelsen for giving a general overview about tarot, elements, astrology, numerology, etc., some of which are briefly covered by this book.

[Conny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book because a long time ago I got some Tarot Cards as a gift that I never was able to master. Since I am working from home now I thought it might be a good idea to pick it up. This is not one of those books that you read and then be done with, I am sure I will need to refer to it for some time to come. I thing this is a great starting point for beginners and even though it has been slow going for me I like the book.

[Schnaucl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I liked The Smart Girl's Guide to Tarot much better. The tone of the book was at times very condescending and up until the last three chapters the book was written in a manner that suggested there was only one correct way (their way) to do things. In the last three chapters there's suddenly room for interpretation and different styles of doing things. Not recommended.

[Sharon Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better Tarot teaching books I've read.

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely short basic introduction to reading tarot cards. A good read for the beginner tarot card enthusiast.

[Jennifer Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very comprehensive guide to each card and doing readings. Great for beginners.