The Original Rider Waite Tarot Pack

This edition, distinguished by its subtle, muted color tones, is an indispensable addition to any tarot collection. The bright, primary colors seen in the familiar 1909 version of Rider-Waite Tarot deck published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. have been returned to their original palette exemplified in the Arts and Crafts style of the early 20th century. For example, the pale blue backgrounds seen in The Star and the Wheel of Fortune cards are presented here as minty green. Tarot aficionados will be pleased to see that the card backs have been restored to their original design of Tudor roses and lilies in pale blue.The Original Rider-Waite Tarot Pack includes a Celtic Cross card-spread guide and an updated version of The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, written by Arthur Edward Waite. This new edition includes a thoughtful foreword by Liz Greene, who not only places tarot in a historical context, but also situates it in a broader context. She describes tarot as "a series of pictorial portrayals of the archetypal human life-journey."See also: Rider-Waite Tarot -- Premier Edition, Pocket Rider-Waite Tarot, Miniature Rider-Waite Tarot, Giant Rider-Waite Tarot, Spanish Rider-Waite Tarot, French Rider-Waite Tarot, 6-unit Rider-Waite Gravity Feed Display, Tarot Total Rider-Waite Deck/Book Set, The Golden Rider Tarot, Albano-Waite Tarot Deck, and Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot.

A.E. Waite (Author) Arthur Edward Waite was the designer and co-creator of the now famous Rider Waite Tarot deck. An American-born British poet and scholarly mystic, his strong interest in all esoteric matters - divination, magic, Kabbalism, alchemy and Freemasony - led to him penning a number of books. These include the Key to the Tarot, The Book of Ceremonial Magic and A New Encyclopedia of Freemasony.Pamela Colman Smith (Illustrator) Pamela Colman Smith was born in England to American parents. Her childhood years were spent between London, New York and Kingston, Jamaica. She became a theatrical designer, even collaborating with the notable W.B. Yeats on stage designs. She was an illustrator mainly of books, pamphlets and posters too. Under the guidance of A. E. Waite, she undertook a series of seventy-eight allegorical paintings described by Waite as a 'rectified' tarot pack. The designs, published in the same year by William Rider and Son, exemplify the mysticism, ritual, imagination, fantasy and deep emotions of the artist.