The Best Beginners’ Astrology Books for Your Shelf
There are so many astrology books and websites out there, not to mention YouTube channels and podcasts, that if you are just starting out, with your chart in your hand, you may be confused by all the options. I’m often asked which books I recommend for beginners. If you want to learn from one of the world’s most respected teachers, authors and speakers, you should really begin with my friend Sue M. Farebrother. Her website is here if you want to buy her bestseller, Astrology Decoded.
Sue is based in London and you’ll often find her at The Astrological Lodge of London, just near Baker Street. She is hugely experienced, both in reading for clients and explaining horoscopes to people who may be encountering their chart for the very first time. She is also a Tarot professional and her new book about Astrology and Tarot will be published in 2019. Do begin your search by looking at Astrology Decoded and any of the international events which have Sue on as a speaker!
Start by Making News Predictions – Use The Book of World Horoscopes!
I am often asked which ‘country’ horoscopes I use to make world news predictions. They all come from the same place, which is The Book of World Horoscopes by Nicholas (Nick) Campion, and you will find the data right across this website. This is a really good place to start learning how astrology works. Check the home page (front page) of my website for the position of the planets in their zodiac signs, at their degrees – the first number you see. When you see anything match the charts for countries like Great Britain, Australia and so on – you can see how the astrology lines up. To the very day. The horoscopes here only show you the planets we knew back in the 20th century. Yet, you can see the broad outlines of a nation’s news headlines by tracking the transits (patterns) made by the big game-changers: Uranus and Pluto.
Buy The Book of World Horoscopes by Nicholas Campion here.
Secrets From a Stargazer’s Notebook by Debbi Kempton-Smith
I remember Debbi cancelling a meeting with me in New York because I had absent-mindedly scheduled it the day after an eclipse. This brilliant astrologer was big on eclipses. Also the charts of The Who – and even The Empire State Building. This book is so great I have two copies, one kept in Britain and the other in Australia.
One of my copies is signed by her and falling apart. It is very precious as Debbi is no longer with us. Her short, chatty descriptions of your Sun, Moon and Rising Signs – and her fantastically useful tables of the transits (patterns) of the big outer planets, and Chiron too, make this a beginner’s best friend. Buy it here.
Decode Your Personal Birth Chart Here
Sue Tompkins is a great teacher and writer, based in Britain. She is hugely experienced and has done a lot of her own original research (as Debbi did) and uses plenty of examples and anecdotes. Look yourself up. Look up the people you know. Fall over in amazement at Sue’s precision accuracy! What I love about this book is that she’s not hedging her bets with vague wording or waffle. She is a crystal-clear writer and that’s why I also have two copies of both these two instant classics. Shown here, The Contemporary Astrologer’s Handbook. Start with this then move up to Aspects in Astrology, which I love.
Buy Sue Tompkins’ Books Here
Looking Up the Planets – From Eclipses to Ceres and Juno 
You still won’t find anything better than Solar Fire software if you want to do your chart properly with all the modern asteroids and other objects, like Neptune’s wife – Salacia. How about Pluto’s wife, Proserpina?
Yet, if you don’t want to invest in software just yet, you can try a look-up book which at least includes Ceres (equal to Pluto since 2006) and Juno (who was Jupiter’s wife). The New American Ephemeris for the 21st Century is a hefty book but it will probably end up going wherever you do! It covers the years 2000 to 2100 so you can look decades into the future to see what patterns will sweep across your chart. This is the Neil F. Michelsen memorial edition (he was the genius behind all these calculations) and although it’s called American – it covers the world. Even if you’re in Mole Creek, Tasmania. Rique Pottenger has done a great thing here. Buy it now.
Using an Astrology Book in Real Time – Ask Me Questions!
One of the ‘real time’ astrology books you can use if you are an absolute beginner is my 2016 horoscope guide. This is 2020 Astrology – Your Five-Year Horoscope Guide which takes you to the year 2020. Thanks to the Comments section on my website, which picks up particular stories and themes in the book, you can grab your chart (if you are a Premium Member) and hit me with a question. As my waiting list is long I can’t promise I will always be able to reply, but you can also look at the discussions going on with others, and learn that way too. I also answer questions on Twitter using this book, when I can. So here you go. An interactive ebook for beginners on the move! The design is by the brilliant Mark Elder. Buy Here