I got into Tarot a few years ago and I don't practice much, but I'm more interested in the meaning behind the cards anyway, so I really enjoyed this book.

It's great for beginners because it's really engaging and easy to understand. It analyses each card and keeps you wanting to learn more.

I loved the illustrations I thought they were beautifully done.

Even if you're not a beginner this is a great reference book.

I’ve recently developed an interest in tarot reading, so I’m pretty much an absolute beginner. The tarot, as I discovered early on, can be beyond baffling — so many different decks, so many different interpretations — so I turned to Stephen Bright’s guide with particular interest.

It’s difficult to give a complete assessment, because — by the author’s own acknowledgment — it’s a book to dip in and out of rather than read from beginning to end, which is what I did. Nevertheless, I found it both valuable and fascinating.

It’s very clearly set out in three sections. The first is a general introduction to what tarot is, what it isn’t (that’s important) and introduces the suits. It’s not long, but it’s clear and unfussy. The second section goes through the pack and explains every single one of the cards, and how they might be interpreted in general, in relation to a situation, and with regard to the individual doing the reading. The third covers some ways of setting out the cards (spreads) and how a reader might interpret them.

I’ve dipped into a couple of other books of this nature, and this is by far the most accessible of them. It also avoids the trap of giving so much information, in particular on the different spreads, that it becomes confusing. There’s detail where we need it — on the cards themselves — and useful and relevant examples elsewhere.

All in all, a book I can see myself going back to time and time again.

I'm an intermediate tarot reader for myself and my friends. I've been reading them for about 20 years, though I'm a little rusty. As the author fully admits in his book, this guide is targeted at beginner and intermediate reading levels, and I would agree with that target, as he does not delve into some of the more difficult spreads or combinations of meanings. I've read quite a few tarot books and deck booklets over the years. I will say that this book had some of the best meanings of the individual cards, outlining their meaning in general, in a situation, as a person, keywords and reversal meanings. It also had some questions for each card for you to think about. SB also talked about simple spreads and ways that the card meanings weave together a scenario. While he didn't go in depth with this, he did give a few examples to see it at work. IMO this is a solid book for newbies to tarot reading, and a good resource to intermediate readers to add some new meanings and ways at looking at already familiar cards. Overall, a tarot book that should be a great reference for beginners and intermediate tarot readers.

A clear and concise introduction to tarot for beginners. I particularly liked the lay out. I have already shared this across my social media channels and received a favourable response.

#InFocusTarot #NetGalley

A useful and extensive guide about how to read tarot's cards. Each card is explained in details about the meaning possibles and the representation. I liked the way the author provides these detailed descriptions.

Thanks to Wellfleet Press for the ARC!

This book is the perfect guide for beginners! People have wrong ideas about tarot because of what they see in movies. They think it'll tell them exactly what will happen in the future and when they're gonna die. It's nothing like that! Tarot is a tool for self-discovery, that helps us to connect with energy beyond our own. Once we're able to comprehend the messages, we know ourselves better.

In this book, we find lots of answers to frequently asked questions, the meaning of each card and a few spread suggestions. It's all very easy to understand and the design is absolutely beautiful!!

Tarot cards have always intimidated me and as a result I have stuck to (what I find to be less intimidating) oracle cards. But with this book, all of that changes. In Focus Tarot by Steven Bright is a fantastic, informative and non-intimidating way to learn how to read tarot cards. I think this book is a great introduction to the subject for someone who would like to learn how to lay spreads and read their own cards, read cards for others or understand the process better if someone is reading cards for them.

In-depth advice for beginners! This advice is presented in easy to follow language that can be broken up and applied in pieces at a time.

This is not my usual type of read but have always really been interested in tarot cards and their deeper meaning. This book has it all and I really enjoyed also finding out more about the Tarot Decks. Each card is explained by the author on five different levels and there are sections devoted to the major and minor arcana using an adapted Rider Waite tarot deck (which happens to be my favourite as the illustrations are so concise and colourful), In addition, in this book, you'll find tips and tricks that will help you know the deeper meaning of any card and how it can apply to situations and people in different areas of your life, Beautifully designed and easy-to-navigate. Thank you Wellfleet Press, Stephen Bright and NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars from me!

Tarot has always fascinated me, but I didn't know where to begin. This delightful little book is so informative and concise, and I love the illustrations! Thank you for the chance to read it early, I will be referring to it quite a bit!

This is good for anyone wanting to know a little bit more about the stigma behind tarot cards. It’s well written with the perfect touch of guidance that anyone who feels like a fish out of water!

I recommend to anyone wishing for more.

I want to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the free ARC.

Wow, this is a FANTASTIC guide! Easy to read but with enough detail to really teach you something, including information on each card in a variety of perspectives (overall, as a situation, as a person, reversed, etc.). One of the best tarot books I've found so far.

This is the perfect guide for beginning users of tarot cards. It includes in depth descriptions of each card and how to interpret them as a situation, a person and to the reader themselves. The author also gives directions for several spreads to use for divination. Rather than just giving the information and leaving it at that, the author guides the reader through learning to interpret the cards and their meaning intuitively so that divining the meaning in a spread becomes second nature.

A wonderful Tarot book! It was really easy to follow and was quite helpful in learning the meanings of the cards. The spreads and layouts offered were also quite insightful and perfect for beginners!

Another book from the In Focus series. I used to dabble in tarot reading when I was younger but always got my sister to do the spreads instead. This is an excellent book for beginners as I find it easy to read, without being too overwhelming. I am also pleased to see basic recommendations when finding your way in tarot reading. To pick one or three cards out of a deck, that to me really is encouragement to any newbie to hone skills and understanding about the cards over time.

Seems like just the book to reignite my interest in tarot reading. Off to find my deck!

Outstanding book. Chock full of information, easy to read. Will be letting others that I know about this book and will be gifting at Christmas. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Although I received the book in this manner, it did not affect my opinion of this book nor my review.

I'm the kind of person who likes to read everything there is on a subject before I actually try it (no wonder I'm getting my PhD...#thatresearchlife). I jumped at the chance to read this via a Netgalley ARC, because I had ordered my first tarot deck and had no idea where to start. (The deck has since arrived, but I haven't touched it yet, wanting to read everything first). This guide seems super helpful, and I'm a little bummed that I can't keep the e-ARC forever to refer back to as I start thumbing through the deck. I really liked the questions it posed for each card to help with interpretation, and I think that's the thing that would be most helpful as a beginner's guide. The book was accessible and straight to the point, which was great as well. The only thing that was a little odd is that the book (at least the ARC version) abruptly ends. I would have liked a general conclusion or summary.

But, overall, if I end up liking this whole tarot thing, I may consider purchasing this one to have in my back pocket.

In Focus Tarot
Your Personal Guide
by Steven Bright
Quarto Publishing Group – Wellfleet Press
Wellfleet Press
Nonfiction (Adult) , Religion & Spirituality
There are so many tarot books on the market but would recommend this one for your library just because.
I really like the way the layout is in the authors thought process in putting this books information down. It's clean and easily accessible and the basic intent and meaning of the cards are put forth concisely. This was another one of the books that didn't want to load properly on the adobe reader so was not able to fluidly [or at all in places] go through the book in entirety or anywhere as much as I wanted but enough t make some observations. I think this is an excellent beginners book as well as a good one to have on the shelf for reference. I was given my first deck at around 8 years old by my aunt and was reading for others outside the family at around 10 and wish that I had had a book like this then [as well as more of a deck selection than what was available at the time] I would highly recommend it just on the ease of how things are put forth to be easily comprehended.

Whilst plotting out the book I am attempting to write, I felt drawn to include an element of tarot within the plot. As such, I picked this book up for research purposes as a total tarot novice. I found it to be a great starting point for my research, as it explains everything clearly and simply, without being patronising. The book is beautifully illustrated and I know that I will return to it time after time as I learn more about reading the cards. I found the layout appealing and easy to follow, and the level of detail was intricate without being overwhelming. Overall, I think this is a great read for someone just starting out on their tarot journey.

I really enjoyed reading this one. I am a tarot reader and student and think can be a good beginner book. It can be very helpful, like the other books in this series as a quick introduction.