Although not an exhaustive or comprehensive list by any means, these are the ones from my collection I enjoy reading again and again. Listed from the simple to complex.
Inner Planets: Building Blocks of Personal Reality, Liz Greene and Howard Sasportas
I’m not sure if this book belongs more to psychology than astrology, nevertheless its an enjoyable read for those who are interested in the humanistic, psychoanalytical, mythological aspect to astrology.
Astrology, A cosmic science, Isabel Hickey
If there is one single book I would recommend to a beginner in astrology, it would be this one, hands down. Isabel writes passionately, eloquently and with startling clarity and experience. Although better suited for a beginner, there are nuggets of insight peeking through for even the experienced astrologer.
The Houses: Temples of the Sky, Deborah Houlding OR The Twelve Houses, Howard Sasportas.
As the titles suggest, either of these are excellent resources for an in-depth understanding of each of the twelve houses of the zodiac
Christian Astrology, William Lilly.
Slightly challenging to wade through because of its old English words and archaic language usage, but no astrologer who wants to learn Horary can ever ignore William Lilly. It took me a while to remember the aphorisms and strictures against judgement and what-not, but he is the g.o.a.t in (western) Horary astrology.
Planets in Transit: Life Cycles for Living, Robert Hand.
A useful reference for transits. That is all. Although if you’re willing to trawl through the internet and make copious notes, you would possibly find most of the information presented in this book available for free somewhere or the other.
Light on Life: An Introduction to the Astrology of India, Hart Defouw and Dr. Robert Svoboda
I haven’t yet found a better beginner’s book on Jyotish than this one, which is a brave and immensely coherent introduction to the enormous bottomless ocean that is known as Jyotish.
Ancient Hindu Astrology : For The Modern Western Astrologer, James Braha
A book for the intermediate western astrologer who wants to test the Jyotish waters before jumping in completely. Slightly more advanced than ‘Light on Life’ but not as densely complex as ‘BPHS’.
Astrology of the Seers: A Guide to Vedic/Hindu Astrology, Dr David Frawley
Dr. Frawley writes authoritatively, clearly and takes a holistic approach to Jyotish by including the healing domains such as Ayurveda, and astrological remedies such as planetary propitiation and worship.
Hindu Predictive Astrology, B.V. Raman
All books by B.V. Raman are classics and are considered a soft introduction to jyotish before tackling the far more complex and original texts. The writing is clear, well structured but is more of a quick reference rather than a deep, comprehensive treatise.
Vedic Astrology: An integrated approach, PVR Narsimha Rao
Dense, and comprehensive. Not meant for a beginner or the intermediate student of astrology. Sip the information rather than chugging it down and take as much time as you need to wade through the 400 odd pages that covers a little bit of everything in Jyotish.
Brihat Parashara Hora Shastra, translated by R. Santhanam.
The gold standard for Parashari Jyotish and suitable for those with a deeper than surface level understanding of Hinduism and its ancient scriptures.
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