Best Tarot Books for Beginners (2025 Guide)
As a beginner, choosing your first tarot book can feel overwhelming. There are so many options, and it’s not always clear which ones will actually help you build confidence with the cards.
Since I love to read (I mean, it is my name!) and I’ve been collecting and studying tarot for many years, I put together this list of my recommendations.
PS - this is list is just a few recommended books! It is NOT all encompassing of great tarot books. There are so many great books I didn’t list!
Beginner Tarot Book Recommendations
Guided Tarot for Seamless Readings by Stefanie Caponi
This book has become a modern classic for beginners and for good reason. Guided Tarot is simple and straightforward.
Stefanie Caponi walks you through tarot step by step, with clear card interpretations and easy to follow guidance. It’s a great book if you want a resource to grab while you’re reading tarot cards. You pulled a card to describe your love life and feel confused? Pick up Guided Tarot and you’re sure to get insight.
If you’re just starting your tarot journey and want a resource that makes the cards feel less intimidating, this is a great choice.
The Ultimate Guide to Tarot by Liz Dean
If you’re brand new to tarot and want a book that covers everything in one place, Liz Dean’s The Ultimate Guide to Tarot is a fantastic choice. It introduces the history of tarot, card meanings, spreads, and practical tips. It’s very clear and approachable.
It’s very clear and approachable book. It gives you enough depth to understand the symbolism behind each card, but it doesn’t get so complex that you feel lost. It’s structured like a true beginner’s handbook which makes it easy to reference as you’re learning.
This is one of those staple books that many readers start with and continue to keep on their shelf for years. At first, it’s perfect for a beginner and will likely have more information than you need, but as you continue to learn, you’ll find more insights that guide your learning.
Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness by Rachel Pollack
Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom is one of the most influential tarot books ever written. While it may feel slightly intimidating to beginners, it’s a great book to add to your collection early on. It goes far beyond beginner interpretations and offers deep insight into the symbolism, psychology, and spiritual philosophy behind each of the cards.
Rachel Pollack will change the way you view tarot and this book will grow with you as you learn. You’ll explore how tarot is a tool for self discovery and transformation through deep wisdom and insights.
While this isn’t the best book for basic card descriptions (stick with one of the two books listed above for that), it’s still a perfect book to pick up early on in your practice. It may feel slightly dense to a beginner, it will help you understand the Fool’s journey on a deeper level.
Mary K. Greer's 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card by Mary K Greer
If you’re looking for something other than basic card meanings, this is a fantastic book to have on your shelf. Mary K. Greer guides you through tarot as if you’re taking a course, walking you through exercises and practices.
The structure of the book invites you to choose a “core card” and use it as your study companion. Throughout the exercises, you’ll return to that card again and again. Slowly uncovering deeper layers of symbolism and technique. By the end, you’ll not only know your chosen card inside and out, but you’ll also have a stronger framework for reading any tarot card in the future.
This book is especially powerful for readers who want to slow down and move beyond memorization. You have to be interested in doing the work and sitting down to practice but it’s a great way to build confidence in your tarot skills.
The Modern Witchcraft Book of Tarot by Skye Alexander
This book blends tarot with modern witchcraft practices. It’s a great pick for anyone who wants to approach the cards from a magical or spiritual perspective. Skye Alexander covers the basics of tarot meanings which are easy to understand and straightforward. But this book also weaves in spells, rituals, and practical applications that connect the cards to everyday witchcraft.
The structure is very beginner friendly but what makes it stand out is how it frames tarot as part of a larger spiritual practice rather than just a divination tool. It’s approachable and gives readers ways to actively work with the cards, not just read them.
While advanced readers may find the interpretations on the simpler side, this book shines for beginners who want to add a little more magic to their tarot journey.
Fearless Tarot by Elliot Oracle
Fearless Tarot was one of my favorite books while learning to read the cards. It takes an empowering edge that’s designed to help readers build confidence with the cards. Elliot Oracle takes a practical, encouraging approach, breaking down each card in a way that feels approachable while also digging into the deeper layers of meaning.
Each card description offers clear guidance along with advice on how to weave the card’s lessons into real life situations. It’s a book that moves beyond simple keywords and surface interpretations, and will help you see each tarot card in a new way.
This book is ideal if you have some very basic tarot books but still feel like you’re having a hard time reading the cards. It works like a supportive teacher guiding you in a new direction, new way of interpreting and highlights details in tarot cards that other books lack.
