Hello folks!
I have read through the choosing your first Tarot deck guide and I’m hoping to find a combination of both a Tarot deck and book. Ideally, as some kind of pack, so the book directly explains the cards I’m working with and maybe suggests some spreads and other advice.
Happy with either Tarot or Oracle, just as long as it’s a good deck with a good book.
Deepen Your Tarot Practice Beyond the Cards
Finding meaningful tarot discussions and authentic guidance can be surprisingly difficult. Discover a space where your questions are welcomed and your intuitive growth is celebrated: Start Your Journey
Ooh, beating that guide is going to be tough! There’s so much good advice there on finding that deck that fits you, and it covers why that’s so important.
And there are some great beginner Oracle decks that come with detailed guidebooks specifically for that deck (they’ll cover the meaning of each card and have some suggested spreads to start with).
That’s where I would start. If you want a specific seperate book for the Tarot in general there’s a thread on Tarot books here that has some great suggestions of guidebooks and workbooks (which give you some great hands-on practice).
Hope that helps!
Exactly what I needed… I should have used the search! 
Thanks!
The Exploring Tarot set comes with a book that actually references the enhanced colors in the Radiant deck specifically. For instance, when it describes the Fool’s yellow sky as representing optimism, you can actually see that vivid yellow. The 272-page book (more than your average little guidebook) has spread diagrams that match the included layout sheet exactly - they clearly designed them together, not just bundled random components.
To be fair, I think most modern Tarot decks have good-quality guidebooks now.
It’s a great idea to get a set where the book is made for the deck. It really helps you connect with the artist’s specific vision for the cards. 
If you go with almost anything from the popular tarot deck list they all come with detailed guidebooks which have everything you need to get started. You don’t really need to get any additional books unless you’re like me and you like learning from a physical book. Everything else you can learn here for free (for example, if this is your first deck, then also read her beginner tarot reader tips!)
The kits are good, but I’d still suggest getting a classic Rider-Waite-Smith deck and the book Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom. You learn the core system that way, and then almost any other deck you get later will make sense. It’s more work, but it builds a better foundation.
There’s also something like Simple Tarot that has keywords quite literally printed on the cards. I personally don’t like this and I think anyone who really gets into Tarot will replace this kind of deck in the first month because you completely block yourself off from intuitive hits by covering the cards with keywords but it is an option for complete beginners if they’re not comfortable with checking the book.
I can be biased, though. You should decide if you want to start with Tarot or Oracle first of all. You can’t buy a deck until you know what system you want to use.
The 78 Degrees of Wisdom book with a Rider-Waite-Smith deck is a solid combo. The book goes through each card’s meaning in detail and helps you understand them better. Both will keep serving you even if you change deck/system further down the road, so nothing is wasted.
They don’t sell them as a single pack, but getting them together works well since the book was written for RWS imagery specifically. The Labyrinthos app is also helpful if you want something digital alongside your physical deck. It has interactive lessons and different spread suggestions.
I haven’t seen many traditional deck + book combos lately either. Apps can help beginners since they give you card meanings right alongside practice readings - basically like having a book on your phone, but I don’t like having digital screens at a reading (unless I have to do it online).
If you can’t visit a shop in person, YouTube deck walkthroughs can give you a sense of whether a deck’s artwork will appeal to you. I’ve been getting into one’s connect tarot with personal development and mental health. There are some interesting approaches that go beyond traditional meanings. That might be a bit much for beginners, though, so it depends on where you are in your practice.
The “right” deck and book is really personal - what works for one person might feel off for another. If something feels like it’s calling to you, go with it, even if it’s not the most popular option.
Tarot Interactions by Deborah Lipp isn’t a deck/book combo, but it’s good for learning how cards work together in spreads. That was helpful when I was starting out.
You’d probably want to get a Rider-Waite deck to go with it since she uses those cards as examples. The book focuses on card combinations and spread dynamics, so it would work well with whatever deck/book set you decide on.
You might want to check out Paul Huson’s Mystical Origins of the Tarot. I got it a while back, thinking it would be a practical guide, but it’s actually more of a history book. It goes into where all the imagery comes from - why the Fool carries a stick and bag, why Death rides a white horse, that kind of thing. There are card meanings included, but they’re pretty brief.
The historical Tarot stuff is interesting if you’re into that but I also think it helps you evolve as a reader. Once you know where the symbols came from, you start noticing connections between cards. Learning the background stories helped me remember the meanings better than just trying to memorize keywords.
Not really what you’re looking for since it’s not a deck/book combo, but if you get a traditional deck like Rider-Waite, it’s worth reading.
Tom Benjamin’s books work really well if you want a deck and book combo. He focuses a lot on how cards connect through colors and visual elements - like the warm reds in The Lovers compared to the cool blues in the Two of Cups. His approach helped me notice things like how the yellow sky in one card might flow into the golden cups of another, creating a visual story beyond just memorizing meanings.
His sets usually come with spreads that highlight these color relationships and contextual meanings, which I found helpful for learning.
Something like the Modern Witch usually comes as just the deck, while something like the Easy Tarot kit by Josephine Ellershaw has both the Gilded Tarot deck and a guidebook written for that specific deck. It’s easier to learn when the book matches the exact cards you’re using, and these sets often have spreads designed for that deck.
You might want to check out Llewellyn’s Complete Book of Tarot kit or the Wild Unknown Tarot set - both come with detailed companion books about their symbolism.
Not gonna lie, when I first started, I didn’t have resources like Tarot Guru, so I would just stand in my local metaphysical store staring at all the box sets with no idea. I wish I had you guys back then.
I ended up going with the classic Rider-Waite deck since so many resources reference those specific images. For books, I’ve been working through “Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom,” which I borrowed from my library first to test it out before buying. It goes into the symbolism in each card beyond just the basic meanings. The author breaks down the major and minor arcana in a cool mix of enough detail that you can work with but doesn’t make it homework. You can get a basic idea and then start doing readings and learn on the go.
If you want something more modern, I’ve been listening to Root Lock Radio podcast episodes. They explain things without all the mystical jargon, which helped me understand what I was doing with the cards. My advice would be to grab whichever deck you like the look of and check out some books from the library before buying. That way, you can find an author whose teaching style works for you.