Rachel Pollack knows lots (and lots and lots) about the Tarot. So I read this book mainly to see what of all she knows she would choose to include in a Tarot book for beginners. While her keywords and definitions will work for most RWS-based decks, she discusses the symbolism on each card at some length and what she's discussing are the pictures on the Rider-Waite-Smith deck itself, not necessarily even its closest clones.

I think this is a fine book for beginners and advanced practitioners both. For beginners, Pollack keeps the keywords and definitions at a manageable, non-intimidating length. She includes the basics of numerology and the four elements, and adds a dash of the Kabbalah, but that's it for other systems: no overwhelming beginners with astrology or a crash course in the Hebrew alphabet. However, even though these are "basic" definitions, I found new insights in both her keywords and her writings on the symbolism of each card, so I think intermediate and advanced readers will find the book good too. I thought it was a little dry for reading cover to cover, but it will be excellent for looking up cards. ( )