Reading Tea Leaves

by James Norwood Pratt

For the Highland Scots, twists of fate were prefigured in the patterns left at the bottom of one's empty teacup. Reading Tea Leaves is the oldest book on the subject in English. Our guide is an unnamed Highland Seer, who reveals the general principles and practices of tea-leaf reading and provides an alphabetical list of the natural symbols commonly found in a cup and their significance.

Genres: Divination, Nonfiction, Tea

90 pages, Hardcover

First published January 24, 1995

Reviews

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author of this is actually an anonymous "Highland Seer" (Pratt is just the foreword author). This little volume was written over 100 years ago and it's an amusing little instructional book on how to read tea leaves, and it does so fairly comprehensively - what kind of tea, how to swirl it, what the symbols mean, how to read them in conjunction with one another, and it even includes some visual depictions of tea leaves and how they would be read, which I found super helpful.

Whether you're a believer or not, it's an interesting little slice of history and a fun activity on a rainy day!

[Corie Caudill · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine and informative. Some statements we’re a bit confusing and I feel like there’s not a large enough list of shapes. But that’s not the book’s fault. Will have to put to the test to see if tea leaf reading is for me!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick and accessible read.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and mysterious little book! Apparently the original was found in a dusty old book shop somewhere and then shared for another generation. Written--possibly during the era of the First World War by an anonymous "Highland Seer"--it focuses on the proper methods of tea leaf readings and interpretations as well as explanations of other possible omens. Not quite 90 pages...this tiny book is possibly packed with the answers to all of the world's problems

[Tina Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very short and thorough book on reading tea leaves. Great for the beginnner. Easy to understand. Illustrations explain the text well.

[Z · Rating 5 out of 5]

It covered a lot within few pages