TAROT:  GET THE WHOLE STORY - USE, CREATE, & INTERPRET TAROT SPREADS is much more than your average "how-to" tarot book.  TAROT:  GET THE WHOLE STORY - USE, CREATE, & INTERPRET TAROT SPREADS is equally useful to the novice or the expert.  Unlike many instructional manuals, Ricklef's writing is a joy to read--the instructions and spread lay-outs are clear and interesting and the book itself is absolutely packed with anecdotes, fanciful stories, and sample readings.  

Ricklef presents the reader with spreads for celebrities and historical figures ranging from Napoleon Bonaparte to Clark Gable, as well as a much more mundane cast of people, both real and fictitious.  He walks the reader through the art of the tarot and the diverse ways of reading these beautiful cards with finesse.  The pace of the book is quick, but comfortable.  I've recommended this book to several friends, some of which are novice tarot card readers, and they had no difficulty understanding or enjoying Ricklef's work.

Many tarot card readers focus on the importance of the cards themselves--their individual styles and stories, rather than on the tarot spread used.  Ricklef reminds us that the spread of the cards is as important as any aspect of the reading--if not indeed the most important aspect.  The spread of the cards is its structure--and much like the blueprint for creating a building, it provides the reader with the tools for interpreting the card's meanings.  Ricklef touches on the structure of each spread, the meaning of the cards themselves, as well as their history, and offers advice on how a tarot card reader can personalize existing spreads, as well as create his own patterns. 

Its very easy to rely on the standard tarot card spreads when reading the cards, but TAROT:  GET THE WHOLE STORY - USE, CREATE, & INTERPRET TAROT SPREADS reminds us that customization and personalization of the cards (which is most easily achieved with the spread of the cards) creates a much more meaningful and informative reading.  This book helps the reader understand some of the most popular spreads (Celtic Cross, for example) and offers advice on tailoring these spreads to individual readings--such as a reading to explore financial situations or romance.  As this book reminds us, not all readings are linear (based on a time frame), some may be more undefined and require a less temporal spread.  Most of all, TAROT:  GET THE WHOLE STORY - USE, CREATE, & INTERPRET TAROT SPREADS encourages the reader to experiment.  Reading the tarot, as well as having the tarot read for you, is a personal experience and should fit the reader and the questioner instead of relying on set formats.

TAROT:  GET THE WHOLE STORY - USE, CREATE, & INTERPRET TAROT SPREADS is a wonderful book filled with interesting information and beautiful artwork.   It is as easily understood (and helpful to) the novice as to the expert.  If you are a fan of the tarot, this is hardly a book you can afford to pass by!