Rider Waite Tarot Deck by US Games at House of Tarot

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Submitted By: Susan on 02/26/2006
The Rider Tarot Deck
Conceived by Arthur Edward Waite
Designed by Pamela Coleman Smith

In 1909 a Tarot deck was published in London that had such an impact on modern Tarot that it continues to shape and define how we think about, and work with the cards in North America today. That deck, the Rider Tarot deck (known also as the Waite Tarot and the Rider-Waite Tarot), was the brainchild of Arthur Edward Waite; a Christian mystic and member of an occult group called the Order of the Golden Dawn. For a token sum, Waite commissioned Miss Pamela (Pixie) Coleman Smith, a young American Set Designer and fellow Golden Dawn member, to create the deck’s artwork under his close supervision.

In many ways, the Waite-Smith deck broke new ground. Most notably, the Rider Tarot popularized scenic pip cards. Illustrated pip cards appeared in a Tarot deck as early as the 15th century, but it was with the Rider Tarot that the idea really took hold. In a marked departure from the decks commonly available at the time, all of the Rider Tarot’s cards, not simply the Major Arcana and Court cards, contained pictorial scenes.

Changing the existing standard format further, Waite transposed the order of two of the Major Arcana cards: Strength and Justice. Thus, in the Rider deck, he moved Strength (formerly number XI) to the VIII position between the Chariot and Hermit cards and repositioned Justice (formerly number VIII) to the very center of the Major Arcana, (number XI) between the Hanged Man and Death cards. Rather than placing the Fool card (formerly unnumbered) at the end of the Major Arcana as was commonplace at the time, Waite numbered the Fool “0” and placed it before the Magician card. While the correctness of these modifications still sparks lively debates amongst Tarot enthusiasts, I must confess, Waite’s modifications to the Major Arcana make a great deal of sense to me. It is the order I prefer.

Thanks to the very competent handling of the material by Pixie Coleman Smith, the Rider Tarot deck’s artwork is clean, uncluttered, and cleverly appears to be far less complex than it actually is. The deck’s images, punctuated by clear, bold colors, are a rich treasure-trove of symbolism masterfully designed to evoke emotional responses. It is a wonderfully intuitive deck to work with.

While there are countless versions of the Waite-Smith deck available on the marketplace today, The Rider Tarot, published by U.S. Games and reissued in collaboration with Miss Sybil Waite and Rider & Company in London, is the only authorized edition. The deck’s cards, printed on quality cardstock in Italy, have a high gloss finish and measure 2 3/4” X 4 3/4”. The card backs feature a blue, black and white checkered pattern that is reversible. The accompanying little white booklet, printed in English, provides a brief history of Tarot, card interpretations, the Celtic Cross Card Spread and a short section on the art of Tarot divination. Additionally, and a particularly nice touch, an extra card containing Pamela Coleman Smith’s picture and biography is included with the deck.

In all respects, this is a top-notch edition of a deservedly famous deck: one that has served as a source of inspiration for a generation of Tarot deck designers. Considered the Standard in North America, The Rider Tarot Deck deserves a place on the bookshelf of anyone with even a passing interest in Tarot.

5 of 5 Stars!

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