versions of Blum's Rune Cards ??

cardlady22

I put this here since the medium is cards rather than staves or stones.

I am wondering if each edition/publisher had new artwork commissioned and what are the names of the various illustrators?

I have turned up the following ISBNs:
0312034237 1989 Oracle Books ? St. Martin's
0747215596 1995 Headline
0312169922 1997 (rev/upd) St. Martin's Press
1859061389 2004 Connections

I have the set published by Connections ~ purple border/title with a droplet making ripples in the water ~ subtitled Sacred Play for Self-discovery
*illustrator: Gabrielle Gern

These are quite unique! A collage of items artfully arranged around an actual runestone.
ETA: maybe "collage" will give the wrong impression. It's really more like a grouping of items. It is real, or 3-D. Think of laying out items in your sacred space/altar.
 

lightbug

This is the version I have, cardlady, The one by Jane Walmsley as the artist. (And the sort of ugly blue card backs) -- is there radically different art on other editions?
 

cardlady22

The backs on my Connections set are a lovely purple with the runes circling the edge. The previous owner trimmed the white borders and titles off, but I'll see if I can get a decent pic of the box with my cell phone camera.

I have another version coming via trade. It may be the artwork that you have. I'll post back when it arrives.
 

Leocrab

Hi cardlady22, My version has the Jane Walmsley images, but the card back design is different from the version shown on the learntarot site.

My backs are marbleized purple and white with gold runes straight down along the long edges only.

Unfortunately I didn't save the box, so I don't know for sure who the publisher is, but I purchased them back in the early 1990's so it's most likely the original Walmsey edition from 1989.
 

cardlady22

Oh, cool! Do you have a way to get a picture or scan? I use Photobucket to store/host my images and then use the 'direct link' URL.
 

Leocrab

yes, here is a scan of the front and back of one of the cards.

Rune Card

I can't remember if this deck came with a book. I have two copies of Blum's Book of Runes so I think one may have come with the deck since I only have one set of the stones.
 

lightbug

Oh wow -- thanks for posting those -- love the art. Very different from my version. I wonder which edition these are ? When were they published?

The book is more like the Ralph Blum RUNES book I purchased in the very early 90s. (the style of the cover)
 

cardlady22

It's this one:
ISBN: 1859061389 2004, Connections

I'd also like to compare the included books with people. It appears that the hardcover layout went unchanged, except for color matching. The general pagan Rune population gave him a hard time for revamping a system he knew nothing about. I'm curious to see what types of historical or "asatru" references he incorporated for further study as the years passed.

runes-divination message 295 (direct link removed since it's a Yahoo! Group) gives an interesting assessment of his "new system" of 5 x 5 rather than 3 x 8.
*Yes, I was born with a kiss of blasphemy. "What if" whispers its siren song to me . . .
 
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