I'm going to be flamed: information on various RWS decks

I agree, the Radient is too orange, the Universal is too cutey-fied and the colors suck.

Stick with the basic. The USG RWS will stand up to a ton of use and abuse. It is the best card stock and lamination that you’ll get, and the illustrations are pretty true to the original.

I’ll warn you away from the deck marketed as the ‘Original Rider Waite Tarot’, it’s a nasty green tint that does not reflect what an original Waite-Smith deck looks like. Not even close.

Mind you – only an opinion…

Welcome Feitico

Its a lot of fun to search around in the 'Deck' Forum where there are pictures of the RW deck(s) ... you can at least get a feel for what the differences are.
You may find you really so prefer one over all the rest.

and as Alta said - we wont Flame you ... we are much too nice for that!!

.. but, we may sautee you in a white wine sauce ...

Have fun searching for your new deck!

COLOR helps me connect....I like the radiant - but it's too pretty for me. That's why my favorite RWS deck is the ALBANO-WAITE. Very true to form, but vivid (some might say garish....but I truly love this deck!).

Elven said:

and as Alta said - we wont Flame you ... we are much too nice for that!!

.. but, we may sautee you in a white wine sauce ...

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And then feed you some "special" brownies

I like Radiant or anything that has visual interest. Colors also help me to connect. But the yellow box RW is a nice choice as well.


and welcome

Baroli

I like orange.

Get the standard RWS because color symbolism is important in this deck and the gussied up editions (except for the Albano-Waite) screw up the color. There's plenty of good material available to teach you the meanings of the cards but you need the original colors to get to the deeper significance of the symbolism.

But wait for the requisite time/number of posts to qualify you to use the Trading Forum and then post a request to buy an older U S Games printing. The newer printings have plasticized the cards into slippery-slidey monsters. Try to find a deck in good condition with one of the New York City addresses for the publisher and you'll get one with the right surface texture. It shouldn't cost you more than a new deck would.

"The 1971 version is as close to the "original" pack as one can easily get. Accept no substitutes." And so, I'd suggest you get THAT version.

...This quote was taken from 'Holly's Rider-Waite Site' (http://home.comcast.net/~vilex/USGames.html) , and i have to agree with her.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I went to my friendly local occult shop, and bought myself the yellow box edition of the RW. Having opened it and briefly examined the cards, I find them quite lovely. My mother owns the Tarot de Marseilles, so I played with it some when I was a child. I find Coleman's illustrations less garish and more pleasing, while retaining a certain mystical austerity that seems to reinforce the symbolically charged images.


I'm very happy with my new deck, and can't wait to start learning about it.

I think Foster Case called the Tarot a spiritual textbook in the form of 78 cards - and I find that the RW reads quite well.

Congratulations!!

I like the analogy of the Tarot as being a book with 78 pages, and you can arrange the pages in any order you want! You get a different story each time!!

Welcome to AT! (and secretly wondering how long it will take you to get a second deck ...)

*S*

...and a third, and a fourth, and a fifth............................................... ;-))

uwe said:

...and a third, and a fourth, and a fifth............................................... ;-))

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But the 78 page book is good - there is a book about that somewhere.....