Something wrong with majors only ?

Essjay

This is terrible, I've just seen some of Adam's major-only decks and I'd love one of them - oh dear.
 

Le Fanu

mmm... tough one... Why on earth am I - insanely obsessive, and so easily pushed over into "must buy" mode - so untempted by Majors only decks?

I remember going to Adam's site a couple of times, seeing some incredible decks all SOLD OUT. There were some others I just didn't like as much and they were not sold out. I haven't been back since. Maybe I should check it out again.

Expense has never really been an issue with buying decks but I just don't seem to get off on reading with Majors only decks. I have a few; Visconti & Egyptian Grand Trumps, a Meneghello XVIII Century deck, Ansata and a few others. I would just always reach out for a complete deck. Historically speaking, who first thought of doing Majors only decks? I mean the Visconti-Sforza decks are all larger decks. Separating them seems like a more recent invention.

I really should rethink this (like jackdaw*). But gut reaction just doesn't make me crave Majors only. And in my mind, I don't naturally seperate majors and Pips/Minors. Whenever I see those spreads which are "seperate the Major Arcana from the Minor Arcana and shuffle seperately", I just switch off...

But I'll be honest, I wouldn't pay over 100 (pounds/dollars/euros/whatevercurrency) for a Majors only deck. I just wouldn't. Even if the artwork were incredible, I'd still be pining for the Minors. And never use it. Even on the rare occasions when I did read with a Majors only deck, I supplemented it with playing cards...
 

RubyV

I love the decks on Adam's site, but cost is what keeps me away. Otherwise, I would probably own quite a few majors only decks. There have been decks where I dislike the minors, and so take out the majors and leave the rest packed away.
 

Libra8ca

I don't have any Majors only decks. So far I've only bought tarot decks to learn to read the tarot (including all cards) and I haven't bought any decks just to collect; but that might change in the future })
I just find reading with Majors only seems a bit limited and to me those decks seem more for collecting than reading (even judging by some of the responses here).
 

gregory

Altena said:
On a side note, does any tarot genius around here know if the Sylph Tarot(another majors only) is all sold out? I see that it says "Temporarily unavailble"(whatever that means) and nothing else. Does this mean that the majors only is sold out? From what I can tell the full deck is being worked on. Anyways, here's the link for this stunning piece of art: http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/sylph/

I'd buy that one in a heartbeat, majors only or not :love:
Adam says the print run will be finished later this year. So ask him to let you know when he does them.
 

t.town.troy

Totally nothing wrong with majors only.
I like that the HR Giger deck is only 22 cards. ;)
I don't have any majors only myself, but I want to get a set of large majors of the BOTA 'deck' to make them easier to colour.
 

nisaba

gregory said:
BUT - why do so few people want to get involved with 22 card decks ? It is well possible to read with them -
You get the odd person who says they only like reading with 22-card decks. I had a period like that myself, in the early eighties. Now, I personally like playing with a full deck, to use an Aussie euphemism inappropriately, and back when I liked a 22-card deck, I really wasn't aware of the diversity of decks out there (or that you could buy 22-card decks at all).

gregoryAnd anyway - is it ONLY the rabid collectors like me who like the ART of the decks ? [/QUOTE said:
Nope.

In fact, because I like reading with full decks, I'll now only buy a 22-card deck if it fleshes out a defined sub-collection in my collection, or because the art is richly appealing. Case in point, this last twelvemonth I have bought only two 22-card decks. One is Julie C-W's Blue Moon: terrible backs, stunning, gorgeous, deep, layered, high-art artwork. Doesn't really work as Tarot for me because she's messed with the system too much for my conservative tastes, but mind-blowing art! <swoons> The other one was the Lebanese, and again, I bought it for the art: light and shadow, a middle-eastern perspective that is authentic and not a Western European's concept of a middle-eastern perspective, stunning, complex, layered, fascinating, brilliantly executed artwork, and on a cardstock entirely unlike any other I have ever touched. (Must ask Adam about that one day).

Nope, can't say I've ever appreciated a deck for its artwork.

gregorySo when an artist actually wants to create a 22 cards deck - is it not worth having ? [/QUOTE said:
Depends on the deck. Lesser decks, no. But I don't have your -er- urges. As a 22 card deck, even those two, are never going to be working-decks for me, they really have to be something special artwise.

gregoryBut - what do others think ? Should 22 card decks stay in the closet ? Or are people just not hearing about them ? or what ?[/QUOTE said:
They are perfectly fine. I'm currently waiting for Adam to commission a Minor Arcana to buy as a supplementary pack for the Lebanese Tarot, myself.
 

blue_fusion

Just some thoughts on this issue:

Taking the artist's side, it's fairly daunting to create 78 separate images, so 22 cards seem more doable. On the other hand, I noticed (well, not with all, but with a lot) that the creative energies and inspirations that would have been spread over 78 images get concentrated on these 22 cards instead. Like the Udovichenko, or another deck originally painted on plywood the name of which escapes me at the moment (must ask Papoon), and a lot of others. The Tarot Encyclopaedia is full of these, richly intricate Majors only decks - well not all, some aren't that intricate, but are rich in other contexts.

Cost is of course an issue with buyers. But there is this misconception that just because they're printed materials - essentially (in most cases - as the Kashmir defies this) ink on paper: the should be priced cheaply. What of the time and effort it took to make them? What of the higher cost it took to get these self-published?

I like majors-only decks. Their particular charm to me's that they're one of the "essentials" of Tarot. One of those things that makes tarot Tarot - take them away, and the Minors look like playing cards with prosthetic pages for each suit.
 

gregory

I LIKE you. :love:

I also like your decks. I think I have all of them. And the majors only ones are fantastic. (so are the others, but I am interested in 22 carders just now.... 23 with the Squirrel ;))
 

Ange

I think if you have a liking for different decks, for the artwork, to use, or to collect, then it stands to reason to get as many variations as are about....that would include Majors only, as well as a few Oracle decks etc...:)

Ang x