Help--1927 Oswald Wirth available?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 04 Apr 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Cerulean	04 Apr 2004
I found the 1927 version of the Oswald Wirth is available through a French boutique-22 cards only: http://tarot.plus.free.fr/boutique1/export/index.html I'm going to try to find how to inquire about this, unless some kind soul can assist or has seen this version elsewhere...it's prettier than the U.S. Games version and I think different than the AGM version...I think the AGM 78 card title is really more like the U.S. Games version with AGM labelling...unfortunately my U.S.Games foldout has been misplaced, so I don't know if U.S. Games partnered with AGMueller on the 1997 printing. All the majors of the 1927 version: http://www.chez.com/alkast/wirth_1927.html Is this readily available for someone in Europe to assist in a buy? I'd be glad to do paypal and shipping---I posted this as a deck example new to me here, so pm me if you can assist on this second point. Mari H.

Kaz	04 Apr 2004
hi mari, i looked at the link you gave for purchasing this deck. what exactly is the problem? can't you order it? i tried and it works like every other online shopping basket thing, as far as i see.

Diana	04 Apr 2004
Mari: The USGames version of the Wirth is quite shameful. They obviously never read his book, which is so detailed when it comes to colours and other details. The deck you are talking about in your post is far more accurate and I would recommend it highly. (Not too sure about the pretty decorations around the side though. But esthetically it works okay.) The USGames deck is a fraudulent deck and this should be known more widely. I will give you here some examples. If you want me to go through all the 22 Majors, let me know, and I will find time to do it this week. 1) Le Bateleur. Wirth mentions specifically that the baton is directed at the disk with the pentacle. The USGames version does not respect this. 2) La Papesse. The veil should not be blue!! Nowhere does Wirth mention a blue colour. He talks about "couleurs chatoyantes". Sort of gentle... (difficult to translate). On top of it, the veil is moving and Wirth specifically mentions "folds" that are formed due to this moving. There are no folds in the USGames version. Also it is very unclear that one of the keys is golden and the other is silver. Her tiara has green encirclements (can't find the right term here) and Wirth says that they are gold. (Both decks have made a mistake with the cross at the top which should be silver). Her dress should be DARK BLUE. The USGames version makes it LIGHT blue. In fact.... 3) Wirth explains why the Empress has a LIGHT BLUE dress and the Papess a DARK BLUE dress. USGames has given the dresses exactly the same colour. Do you want me to go on? The USGames deck should be chucked in the bin (it works well as an oracle though... but any cards with any pictures on them can work as an oracle). On top of it, it has 56 minors and Wirth never designed any minors. It was just produced quickly to make money and Kaplan and company should be ashamed of themselves to not even have bothered to get a French person to read Wirth's book for them. Oswald Wirth deserves far more respect than this. He was a truly great man.

Cerulean	04 Apr 2004
I may be able to locate a source that will kindly assist in shipping to the U.S. Believe it or not, the French version of Oswald Wirth's book was at a local used bookstore, but the cards that came with this anniversary reissue were identical in the front to the the U.S. Games version issued in 1997...which was saddening when one is aware of the French reprint of the 1927 majors version that might be out there! Thank you and I'll report back if I am fortunate....otherwise I will keep my eyes open. Best wishes, Mari

crystal cove	04 Apr 2004
;) I enjoy my U.S Games Oswald Wirth, but this one is much better. I would be interested to know how you end up obtaining it. I would love to own one. I can't read French so I was unable to complete a transaction at the boutique you provided a link for.

Cerulean	12 Apr 2004
The German author Elisabeth Haich has a translated to English text and punchout cards come with it, a slightly darker version of the French Oswald Wirth majors, much softer and more delicate than the U.S. Games majors from the U.S. Games 78 card deck I prefer Oswald Wirth's writing and had given away the Elisabeth Haitch book and cards as a $5.00 novelty. You can still buy it from abebooks.com and amazon.com from $6-18.00, but be certain and email the bookseller to ask if the cards are still in the book. Don't pay an ebay price beginning at $15.00 if you can get it for less. Here they are: compare with the links above. http://www.themysticeye.com/pics/wisdom.htm Bless the internet and Mystic Eye pictures! I knew I had seen this somewhere... To buy: go through Aeclectic.net's link to Amazon.com: http://www.tarotforum.net/announcement.php?s=&forumid=39&announcementid=46 I then entered Elisabeth Haich's name in the left hand box after Amazon.com came up and got here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0943358019/qid=1081747436/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/103-5296261-1281400?v=glance&s=books&n=507846 Hope this is helpful to those who are interested. Cerulean Mari P.S. Diana, thanks for pointing out details that I should become more aware about---it turns out the French book with the cards is a slightly better printing than U.S. Games version...there's smoother printing in places the U.S. Games printing might show a rim of white, slightly darker background, etc...but essentially you are right, they reprint the same mistakes. The cards that come with Elisabeth Haich's books were prettier, but I hadn't known that they were a better version of Oswald Wirth's explanation before your kind explanation. I'm eagerly awaiting my $5.00 investment.

Diana	13 Apr 2004
If anyone is interested in the Wirth deck (22 cards) that Cerulean points out in her first post, they may also be available here: http://3emillenaire.ifrance.com/3emillenaire/aigle/index02.htm Or write directly to the publishers in Quebec: Editions de l'Aigle C.P. 1383 Sherbrooke (Québec) Canada J1H 5L9 They are worth buying.

crystal cove	17 Apr 2004
Thank you for posting the address Diana. I don't read French so the French-sites are posing a problem for me. :)

The Help--1927 Oswald Wirth available? thread was originally posted on 04 Apr 2004 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.