The Pamela Colman Smith Centennial Deck review thread

Cerulean

It is one of the prettiest bookcase sets...and all the extras...

I would compare the feel to my reprinted Alchemical Renewed...it feels really nice. I hope to get time to really enjoy it during the long weekend in May.

I think moss-green for the box was a lovely, inspired choice...really a beautiful set....and thanks to others here, I got it for the good pre-release price and find it's a great value to me...

Best

Cerulean
 

minrice

My copy came today and it is so beautiful! Everything is packed inside this very sturdy green slipcase. The slipcase is so pretty I want to leave it out and not shelve it!

Oh how I love the smell of freshly printed matter! Mmmmmmmm...
The Artwork & Times book is a little flimsier than I thought it would be. It's kind of a hard paperback with thick pages and the binding is the kind that would easily snap if you aren't careful. I definitely won't be dropping this book or have it in a cold room or else that's what is going to happen. But the artwork is of course gorgeous, and Pam's artwork is on every page. It's really cool to flip through the book and see images in her artwork that she later integrated into her Tarot deck.

The spreadsheet guide is laminated which is a nice touch. The spreads are easy enough to memorize as they aren't complicated (which I like!).
This particular Pictorial Key to the Tarot doesn't have illustrations of the cards in it. I'm happy to have this copy as I don't have one of my own (I know, I know!). I think the lack of pictures is a good thing though because you are forced to use the deck in conjunction with the book instead of just looking at the picture in the book. Again, this book feels flimsy to me...

I love the deck! The cardstock is nice and thick. The deck itself feels thick to me, it may be the thickest deck I have. I thought that the only deck that might beat it (that I have) would be the Golden and sure enough when I put them side by side the Golden was just a few cards thicker. So the deck is thick to give you some idea! The lamination isn't super slippery or glossy. I like the fact that the colors are different and it already has an aged feel. I too love jewel tones and bright colors in decks so this is different for me. But I think that it will be a nice change, the sort of deck you read by the fire on a winter day, or when you are feeling a little melancholy.
The deck also came with a little sky blue organza bag. I don't think I'll put it in the bag though.

Overall I'm really glad I bought this set and I think it was worth the price I paid on Amazon for it. My one, minor complaint would be the binding and covers of the two books, I would have paid a little more for them to be hardbound and the binding sturdier. But that's all, and the focus is the deck anyway, right?
 

minrice

Ooo, that bag is perfect for this deck Hearthcricket! I love it!
 

Kimber

Bad Bag?

minrice said:
My copy came today and it is so beautiful! Everything is packed inside this very sturdy green slipcase. The slipcase is so pretty I want to leave it out and not shelve it!

Oh how I love the smell of freshly printed matter! Mmmmmmmm...
The Artwork & Times book is a little flimsier than I thought it would be. It's kind of a hard paperback with thick pages and the binding is the kind that would easily snap if you aren't careful. I definitely won't be dropping this book or have it in a cold room or else that's what is going to happen. But the artwork is of course gorgeous, and Pam's artwork is on every page. It's really cool to flip through the book and see images in her artwork that she later integrated into her Tarot deck.

The spreadsheet guide is laminated which is a nice touch. The spreads are easy enough to memorize as they aren't complicated (which I like!).
This particular Pictorial Key to the Tarot doesn't have illustrations of the cards in it. I'm happy to have this copy as I don't have one of my own (I know, I know!). I think the lack of pictures is a good thing though because you are forced to use the deck in conjunction with the book instead of just looking at the picture in the book. Again, this book feels flimsy to me...

I love the deck! The cardstock is nice and thick. The deck itself feels thick to me, it may be the thickest deck I have. I thought that the only deck that might beat it (that I have) would be the Golden and sure enough when I put them side by side the Golden was just a few cards thicker. So the deck is thick to give you some idea! The lamination isn't super slippery or glossy. I like the fact that the colors are different and it already has an aged feel. I too love jewel tones and bright colors in decks so this is different for me. But I think that it will be a nice change, the sort of deck you read by the fire on a winter day, or when you are feeling a little melancholy.
The deck also came with a little sky blue organza bag. I don't think I'll put it in the bag though.

Overall I'm really glad I bought this set and I think it was worth the price I paid on Amazon for it. My one, minor complaint would be the binding and covers of the two books, I would have paid a little more for them to be hardbound and the binding sturdier. But that's all, and the focus is the deck anyway, right?

I couldn't bear to snip a word of this review, as it exactly echoes my response after receiving my set today! It is WONDERFUL. My only nit is that the bag provided for the cards s a bright blue. Everything else about the set is earthy. Why not a forest green bag??

After reading the book that accompanies the set, I was tempted to try to put togehter a 22 card deck of Pixie's art that wasn't specifically tarot-related. There's so many beautiful images that work! Go through the book and you'll see what I mean.

Kimber
 

rwcarter

I agree with the comments about the books. My set came today and in both books the back spine is already separated from the page binding without me even opening the books.

Comparatively, the cards are much darker than the original versions of the deck. But thumbing through them without doing any comparisons, they aren't anywhere near as dark/muddy as they are in comparison. Definitely worth the price, and I can definitely see myself using this deck regularly, where I wouldn't use the very yellow Rider Waite deck on a regular basis. When the deck-only is available, I can see me getting a second copy. I'll be back to comment on the content of the books once I've read them.

Rodney
 

Kimber

rwcarter said:
I agree with the comments about the books. My set came today and in both books the back spine is already separated from the page binding without me even opening the books.

Rodney

I think that the softcover book design deliberately allows for flexibility in the spine. It looked like it was coming apart to me at first too, but upon closer examination, the spine is constructed rather unusually, with a little give; the book covers, for a softcover book, are also more rigid than a normal book. I suspect it is this unique design which is causing some confusion.

Everything about this publication is first class!
 

rwcarter

That idea hadn't occurred to me Kimber. I guess as people begin reading their books, we'll know whether they were poorly constructed or constructed in a new and unusual way that actually protects the book from wear and tear.

Rodney
 

minrice

Kimber said:
My only nit is that the bag provided for the cards s a bright blue. Everything else about the set is earthy. Why not a forest green bag??

I know! Why?! Lol. I thought of this too, but it's a small detail ;)

rwcarter said:
That idea hadn't occurred to me Kimber. I guess as people begin reading their books, we'll know whether they were poorly constructed or constructed in a new and unusual way that actually protects the book from wear and tear.

Rodney


You can all be optimistic about it :) that's probably for the best. But as for me personally I hold to my theory that this binding will not hold up over time. I worked in a used bookstore all through college and I have seen many bindings exactly like this crack from age, from cold, from being dropped from the bookshelf. Something about the glue and this thick, slick paper...They are fragile, not cheap exactly, but just not that durable and won't age well. Flexible for a bit but that's when the end is near....;)
 

etherial dreams

how is its lamination in comparison the the Original Rider waite? more/ less or the same? The lamination of the original rider waite is a bit too much for me but having said that even if it is heavily laminated I will still get is as I want a nice rider waite deck to read with and the ORW isn't doing it to me, yet I like its more mysterious tone in comparison to the Radiant or the Universal.