Book Review: Tarot: a Graphic History

Valentina Grande, Tarot: a Graphic History. Brighton: Leaping Hare Press, 2025.  ISBN: 9781836002734. 

Genre: graphic novels

Subgenre: Tarot, biography 

Format: e-book galley

Source: Edelweiss Plus  

 

This is probably one of the nicest and sweetest books about Tarot I've read. This is a bit of a biography of Pamela Colman Smith, the artist who brought to life what is now known as the Rider Waite Smith (RWS) Tarot deck. It is also a bit of history about Tarot, and a bit of late 19th century history. 

The story's frame is Pamela meeting at a house with some female friends. During this gathering, they chat, talk and gossip, but also Pamela is reading cards for them. As she reads the cards, she also explains them. Thus we get some small lesson on card meanings and how to interpret them. Pamela also talks about her life and experiences including her travels and comments on contemporaries. 

The art is certainly a good reason to pick up the book. It is colorful, and it has a soft cozy style that draws you in. It brings the story to life. As for the story, the author does some reimagining of events and time, which is explained in the prologue, but we still get a good sense of what her life and times were like. 

The book as a whole is an easy and fun read. It is a definitive biography? No, but if you want a place to start learning about her this book is a good option. This may be a nice book to give as a gift to a beginner in Tarot along with a classic RWS deck. 

The book includes a prologue, 5 chapters, and an epilogue. The book does not include references, though the author mentions a few books they read or consulted to write this one.

Overall, this is a nice and accessible book. It appears simple, but it offers some depth. Public libraries may want to acquire it, especially if they already collect other esoterica. For academic libraries in an interest in pop culture may want to acquire it. I'd buy for our library, and I would not mind getting a personal copy for my collection. 

5 out of 5 stars. 

 

This book qualifies for the following 2026 Reading Challenge:

 

 

 

 

Tarot and esoterica books I read in 2023

Welcome to the last of my post in my series of top books I read in 2023. This list is a bit different as I am listing all the books I read in Tarot and esoterica for the year. I am not including any companion books for cartomancy decks I also read. I am including the full list because last year a couple of readers mentioned finding this list useful, so I hope this one is useful as well to my four readers. The list is in no particular order, and if a review has been posted to the blog by now I will include a link. 

You Tarot Toolkit: Simple Activities For Your Daily Practice.

 

 

From my review: "Overall, this is a basic and concise Tarot book to work with the cards individually. I can recommend it mainly for beginners and for mid-range Tarot practitioners. It's easy to read and very accessible."

 

The Big Book Of Tarot Meanings: the Beginner's Guide to Reading the Cards. 

 

 

 From my review: "This is a very good Tarot reference book to keep handy. It is easy to use and easy to read. Doing a love reading, and you are puzzled by cards that may represent finances? This book can help with that."

 

Easy Tarot Combinations: How to Connect the Cards for Insightful Readings. 

 

 

 

From my review: "The core of the book is in each card's featured combinations, which provide jumping points to help us expand our reading abilities. If you need a bit of help with a card combination, this is a good book to have on hand." 

 

 

Doctoring the Devil: Notebooks of an Appalachian Conjure Man. 

 

 

 

From my review: "As with the author's previous book, you do not have to be a worker to read this. If you are seeking to learn how to do it, it is a good guide. This book does emphasize more how to do things. It may be more practical than the previous book. However, it also works as a good look at the region and a very significant part of its folklore."

 

 

 Roots, Branches, and Spirits: the Folkways and Witchery of Appalachia. 

 

From my review: "The author writes and teachers readers about the old ways. The publisher describes the book as 'part cultural journey and part magical guide' (from the back cover)." 

The Evil Eye: the History, Mystery, and Magic of the Quiet Curse. 

 

 

 

 

The Witch of the Forest's Guide to Tarot Magick.  

 

 

From my review: "Overall, I liked the book, especially the card entries. Entries are concise and informative. A good starting book for beginners, but it may be too basic for intermediate and advanced users. This is one I would give to a beginner along with a card deck. I would consider ordering it for our library. "

 

 

 

Thrifty Witchery: Magick for the Penny Pinching Practitioner. 

 

 

 

 

 

From my review: "The book's authors are here to show us that you can have a robust, healthy, and thriving witchcraft and magick practice without taking out a second mortgage nor selling a kidney."

 

 

Book Review: The Witch of the Forest's Guide to Tarot Magick

Lindsay Squire (author) and Viki Lester (illustrator), The Witch of the Forest's Guide to Tarot Magick: Discover Yourself Through Tarot--Learn About the Magick Behind the Cards. Brighton, UK: Leaping Hare Press, 2023.  ISBN: 9780711280649.

Genre: witchcraft, Tarot

Subgenre: reference, guides

Format: trade paperback

Source: Eastside Branch, Lexington (KY) Public Library

 

This book is part of a series of guides; at this point I have not read any of the other books in the series. 

This is a beginner's book for folks who may be new to witchcraft, to Tarot, or to both. The author aims to help readers integrate Tarot into their magical practice. The book is arranged as follows: 

• My Story and Things to Know. A short introduction where the author describes her experience, how the book came about, and presents some things to know before starting such as Tarot is not always about fortune telling. 
• Starting Your Tarot Journey. This provides some advice on basics like choosing your deck, caring for your cards, and Tarot journals. 
• Practical Tarot. This chapter gives you some practical ways to start learning the cards. This includes studying card colors, symbolism, numerology, and a bit of astrology. The idea is to help you get acquainted with those elements. You can decide how much or not to bring into your readings as you practice. Depending on your interest, you may want to supplement with specific books, for example, books on astrology. 
• The Major Arcana. Here the Major Arcana is defined and it goes over the cards. Entries here are very informative including basics like Zodiac sign and keywords upright and reversed. For the Major Arcana cards we also get the Fool's Journey stages. 
• The Minor Arcana. The entries are pretty much the same kind of information and length, but without the single page card art per card as featured in the Major Arcana.
• Tarot Spreads. In addition to spreads, this chapter includes how to get ready for a reading. We the get a small list of 3-card and 4-card spreads and the Celtic Cross Spread. This chapter is pretty sparse, but it provides just enough to give you a start. 
• Tarot Spells and Rituals. A look at using your deck for more than divination. It offers advice for using Tarot for spells and rituals. The chapter features 9 spells. Each spell includes list of materials, tools, and cards to use plus instructions. For the most part, the ingredients are simple and easy to acquire, or you may already have some in your home. Things like some specific crystals may be harder to acquire for some folks, so some creativity may be needed depending on budget and willingness to search for substitutes. 
• Conclusion. 
• Recommended Reading List. 

 

This is a very easy and accessible book. The author keeps it relatively simple, which makes the book good for beginners. The card entries pack a good amount of information, but aside from telling us details such as a card's ruling planet or Zodiac sign, there is not much depth. If you want to learn by a card has a particular sign, for example, you will need to supplement with other books. Still, the basics are there. The upright and reversed meanings give enough to learn and start working with the cards. 

For me, the advice on Tarot journaling is good. I was glad to see the author encourage this. I've kept a cartomancy journal since I started my practice, and it serves me well. The author also includes a list of journal questions and exercises to try out. 

The book can be a bit inconsistent in substance as some parts are more substantial than others. Still, it is an easy read, and it is not excessively esoteric. 

The book's art is mainly keyed to a deck the author made, but it is Rider Waite Smith (RWS) based, so you can use the book with any RWS or RWS based deck. 

Overall, I liked the book, especially the card entries. Entries are concise and informative. A good starting book for beginners, but it may be too basic for intermediate and advanced users. This is one I would give to a beginner along with a card deck. I would consider ordering it for our library. 

4 out of 5 stars.