The Big Book of Tarot: How to Interpret the Cards and Work with Tarot Spreads for Personal Growth

I have long been a fan of Joan Bunning every since she created her Learning the Tarot course online, decades ago. Having her be the author of the Big Book of Tarot for Red Wheel Weiser was cause for immediate excitement on my part. Happily, my trust was perfectly placed -- this is a GREAT book!

Full of line drawings of the Rider-Waite deck of cards (the easiest deck to relate to, I believe) Bunning's clear explanations are exactly what a newcomer to the tarot needs. Part One covers the basics: elements of the cards, how to do a reading, and interpretations. Part Two goes a little deeper with a discussion of the energy of the cards in both upright and reversed positions as well as how to understand them within the context of readings. Part Three is a thorough description of the cards, including keyword charts to help you learn them for future readings. Part Four goes over a variety of spreads. Part Five offers a variety of reference materials, such as shuffling techniques, procedures for doing readings, and more details on card meanings. Several appendices provide more information and a well-curated bibliography and detailed index round out this excellent book.

I don't always love books that purport to be 'complete' or 'the only' on a topic, but The Big Book of Tarot is a winner all around.

~review by Lisa Mc Sherry

Author: Joan Bunning
Red Wheel Weiser, 2019
pp. 368, 24.95

Link to:
The Big Book of Runes and Rune Magic
The Big Book of Chakras and Chakra Healing
The Big Book of Numerology