This deck/book set provides everything you need to understand tarot. The full-size deck is a vibrantly recolored version of the classic Rider-Waite deck, updated with subtle shading that gives depth to the familiar tarot scenes. The 272-page, user-friendly handbook with full-color illustrations is perfect for beginners as well as experienced readers who want to refresh their tarot skills.
Rider Waite Tarot has set the standard for hundreds of other tarot decks, which follow the archetypal images created by Pamela Colman Smith in 1909 under the direction of Arthur Edward Waite. This edition includes Smith’s original hand drawn titles. A unique feature of the Rider Waite deck, and one of the of the principal reasons for its enduring popularity, is that all of the cards, including the Minor Arcana, depict full scenes with figures and symbols. Prior to the Rider Waite Tarot, the pip cards of almost all tarot decks were marked only with the arrangement of the suit signs: swords, wands, cups, and coins, or pentacles. The pictorial images on all the cards allow interpretations without the need to repeatedly consult explanatory text. The innovative Minor Arcana, and artist Pamela Colman Smiths ability to capture the subtleties of emotion and experience have made the Rider Waite Tarot a model for the designs of many tarot packs. Rider Waite Tarot was named one of the Top Ten Tarot Decks of All Time by Aeclectic Tarot.
