The Treadwell's Guide to: Tarot Decks and Books
Updated: Feb 5, 2022

The Rider-Waite-Smith deck
This deck is almost certainly the most widely used tarot card deck in the world. Illustrations are done in Art Deco style and the designs are rich in traditional symbolism. An excellent deck for beginners.
Best books to buy for the Rider-Waite-Smith deck
Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom
The Noblet deck

A beautiful and highly collectible restoration of the oldest known Marseille-style tarot deck, the Noblet tarot, by master card-maker Jean-Claude Flornoy. A great beginner Marseille deck.
The Dodal deck
One of the earliest surviving Marseille-style tarot decks, the Dodal Marseille deck's woodcut art is vivid and powerful, and it features several distinctive iconographic details.
The Vieville deck
A beautiful, high-quality reproduction of a unique seventeenth-century version of the Marseille Tarot. Major Trumps only.
Best books to buy for the Noblet, Dodal, or Vieville deck
Reading and Understanding the Marseille Tarot
Thoth Deck
The Thoth Tarot is one of the most iconic decks of modern occult tarot, designed according to the elaborate kabbalistic and astrological attributions of British occultist Aleister Crowley. It is especially essential for students who want to work seriously with a tarot deck embedded in Western esotericism and Thelema, Crowley's own magical system.
Best books to buy for the Thoth deck
Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot
Keywords for the Crowley Tarot
Another book we recommend, regardless of what deck you’re using:
