As we all know there are many decks and books for studying Tarot. However some of them are not quite as good as others. I personally would recommend the Universal Waite Deck for beginners because it is a very good modern update of the original Rider Waite Tarot images for the beginners. There are many good books that teach how to do readings using the Rider Waite deck or the Universal Waite deck.
Some of the great books for beginners in English are shown above. The last one is specially listed for the Chinese students. It is a book and deck combination that basically gives the Chinese book away for free. For those students in Asia who think of getting a cheaper deck printed in China or Taiwan, I would seriously advice against such practices because the decks made in USA usually are MUCH MUCH BETTER in quality. They have better a feeling of touch and can surely last longer. Believe me they would definitely worth the differences in prices.
I would for sure use the book and deck combination as my text book and deck for teaching Tarot in Taiwan. For those who want to get to learn more about the essence of Tarot I would recommend the two books above. If one ever heard of "Path Working" and would want to do the work, the book by Dr. Robert Wang is surely the BEST guidebook I know of. Sorry for those who can not read English, though. It is absolutely essential for anyone who wants to get onto a higher level of Tarot studies.
Personally I will set three levels of understanding in Tarot. The first level just know how to read the cards and predict the future. They might be excellent Tarot card readers (and yes, there are many good readers in this level who can give better readings than anything I can ever dream of), but they really just know how to use the cards and maybe some know a little bit more on Tarot card spreads. Unfortunately in Taiwan and many parts of Asia even some of the very good readers know very little about the Tarot card spreads. Due to the lack of studying materials in Asian languages most of the good readers can not improve themselves other than doing their best to give readings.
The second level of Tarot practitioners knows about the design of spreads and also the knowledge of path working, which is the essence of using Tarot in western style magic rituals. The third level would understand the connections between Tarot and the western spiritual practice traditions, what are the karmic effects of studying Tarot, and how to use it for spiritual improvements. I believe most of the spiritual knowledge from Tarot (which I also believe is the knowledge of the Piscesean Age) is already lost as a matter of the modern development of the new religion of the Aquarian Age --- what we all know as "science".
It is my goal to pass the torch to the coming generations to further enhance the Tarot studies. I myself have taken the path of buddhism but I feel the knowledge has to be passed on. Leaving clues on my blog can be a good way of setting the records for future Tarot practitioners. To be honest people can always study the books listed and obtain the same knowledge I have gained over the years. For those who would not bother themselves to do all that hard work they could simply take my courses, which are surely worthwhile if we take the time and work done into consideration. Until then I guess I would still stand alone on the hill as the Hermit waiting on my final time to come...
