The Complete Book of Palmistry

I became interested in palmistry as a ten-year-old, when I discovered that a neighbour was a professional palmist. His wife was an excellent cook, and I used to visit them regularly to sample her baking. It was also the first home I had been in that had a library. I was a keen reader and it excited me to discover that some people actually had a room devoted entirely to books. As I sat in their library eating the cakes that she so generously supplied, I would look at the books all around me. One day I noticed that a large number were on palmistry. I started asking questions, and over a period of time my neighbour taught me the basics of the subject.

Consequently, I have been involved with palmistry for almost all of my life. While living in England in the 1960s I was able to learn much more, as palmistry was extremely popular there at the time, particularly in London.

I later went to India to study further, but found that disappointing, as most of the palmists there had learned from British books, especially those of William Benham. I am delighted that The Complete Book of Palmistry is now available in India. (Pustak Mahal in New Delhi published it in 1997 as Palmistry for Beginners.)

Palmistry has been very good to me over the years. I have been able to make a living as a palmist in several different countries, and have taught it in at least as many others. Over the last forty years I have built up a library of more than four hundred books on palmistry. (My wife thinks it's about a hundred!)

It disturbed me to find that many of these authors seemed intent on making palmistry a difficult subject. Consequently, when I sat down to write The Complete Book of Palmistry I wanted to write a book that was friendly, easy-to-understand, and that had people starting to read palms in Chapter One.

To make it as easy as possible, I included sample scripts of what a palmist would say when he or she noticed a certain formation on a hand. I also had an artist draw 181 full-page drawings to make everything clear and easy to follow.

After covering all the basics, I included chapters on Love and Compatibility and Talents and Careers. I tried to write the sort of book that I would have liked to have had when starting out.

Charles Scott, MD, producer and star of the popular television show Mind Probe had this to say about The Complete Book of Palmistry:

"Richard Webster is the acknowledged master of the art of palmistry, as well as its most inspired and inspiring practitioner. The Complete Book of Palmistry will certainly become the standard by which all other books, past and present, will be measured, the ne plus ultra, a classic. His writing, as usual, is brilliantly clear and absolutely authoritative."

Carl Herron, publisher of The Path wrote in his review: "Internationally famous palmist Richard Webster has written what will undoubtedly become the definitive book on palmistry. He has placed at your disposal years of study, research, and the experience of doing hundreds of thousands of readings all over the world.

"Whether you are a palmist, want to become one, or are simply interested in this fascinating subject, this book is a must!"

The Complete Book of Palmistry is a revised edition of Revealing Hands (Llewellyn Publications, 1994).

The Complete Book of Palmistry has been translated into Romanian and Russian. English language editions have also been published in India and the US (Book Club).