The Tarot Directory

Rating:
Summary: This book should be a tarot Bible!
Review: I've never before read a more thorough, accurate description of tarot cards. Author gives history, etc, but the value in this book lies in its card meanings. Both Major and Minor arcana are discussed. Others "write" books with traditional symbolic card meanings, but this is in-depth, spiritual, path-oriented, and complete. HIGHLY recommended for beginners, as well as those already familiar with tarot. If this book had been published 10 years ago, when my interest in tarot was first piqued, I could have saved myself much confusion and wasted time over the years. This books is a great tool to use for daily and annual readings, as well as your celtic cross and other spreads.

Rating:
Summary: This book should be a tarot Bible!
Review: The design of this book in and of itself is partially what makes it so great. No more bindings to snap or break or trying to hold a book open to a page while you examine a card. This is a spiral bound book with the wiring enclosed into the hardbound cover. The sections are tabbed, the cards' images are just lovely. The information, while not extremely thorough is certainly more than many starter books give on each card.
I am so impressed with this book, I recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning tarot, who teaches it or has friends who are interested.

Rating:
Summary: Finest Tool for Teaching Tarot I have Came Across
Review: The design of this book in and of itself is partially what makes it so great. No more bindings to snap or break or trying to hold a book open to a page while you examine a card. This is a spiral bound book with the wiring enclosed into the hardbound cover. The sections are tabbed, the cards' images are just lovely. The information, while not extremely thorough is certainly more than many starter books give on each card.
I am so impressed with this book, I recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning tarot, who teaches it or has friends who are interested.

Rating:
Summary: I believe the word is: Wow.
Review: The Tarot Directory is as appealing visually as it is content-wise. It's filled with information and images, but clean and organized. The book is even divided up into sections with tabs that stick out of the sides for quick reference.

It has the look of a day planner, which works to its advantage in many ways - it's easy to carry around and it is very sturdy. Personally speaking, I'm not someone who is fond of the idea of everyone knowing of my interest in tarot, but this book is safe to carry around. It's inconspicuous - my nosy friends are much more likely to go for the gameboy than the book.

However, it's what's inside the directory that makes this book 100% worth your time and money. Each card is explained by details of the illustration, an introduction to the card, the symbolism behind it, and the interpretation if it were to show up in a spread. Each card also has three keywords to define its general meaning, which is another bonus.

The minor arcana is covered as well as the major, which isn't always the case in some books, and it is covered with the respect it deserves as part of the tarot.

There are also details of how prepare and conduct a reading, and, possibly my favourite part of the book, there are a few tarot spreads, with examples of how they could be read, with real people (it even includes their pictures).

Another thing that isn't always present in tarot books, and something that was a welcome addition here, were the notes on creating one's own spread. As someone who often has to make my own, I very much enjoyed this part of the book, and I found the the suggestions given by Annie Lionnet didn't contradict my own methods, and in fact, found that they helped my own technique.

And once you finish, and you're wanting to dive deeper, the back has a list of helpful books and websites to visit.

Rating:
Summary: Well-Made, Too Warm & Fuzzy
Review: This book was made to be useful. Its design is definitely its strong point. Ring-bound so it lies open flat. Thumb tabs for each chapter (though perhaps tabs for each suit would have been even MORE useful.) It has full-color pictures from dozens of different decks, which enables you to see how the same card has been depicted by various artists - something very handy which I have not seen in any other book. Card descriptions are thorough and accurate. You really couldn't go wrong with this book.
The reason I took away a star, though, is this: the interpretations are just a bit too "positive, self-affirming, upbeat" even for the gloomiest cards, like in the suit of swords. It's almost as if the author has intentionally shied away from telling us anything unpleasant or scary ... but sometimes the cards do have grim warnings to give. Also, I incorporate inversions into my readings (if a card appears upside-down in a spread, that changes its meaning) which is a subject Ms Lionnet does not even touch.

So, I give this one 4 stars because it's handy, well-designed, useful ... but not _quite_ complete.