"Original design Tarot deck", aka "Tarot Deck, Deck of 78 Cards"

[FLizarraga]

  I am surprised no one is talking about this one so far. It is yet another independent RWS reproduction (one of the several that have sprouted lately --is there something in the water?), and it is sold here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07639LBZF/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

For that price, I decided to give it a go, and it arrived today. It is apparently made or distributed by a company called Siren Imports, LLC, whose website (http://www.sirenimports.com/) is "under construction." They are (supposedly) based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, though they could just as easily be a foreign business with an American address; not very uncommon at all. Their Amazon vendor account is also pretty new, with only 7 ratings.

 

 

When I opened my package, I was pleasantly surprised. The tuck box is very decent, and the only flaw I can think of is that it is made of a very shiny material. The cards themselves are printed on yummy linen cardstock, lightly coated, with a --I was going to say a semi-matte finish, but that does not mean anything; it's like saying "semi-pregnant." It has enough gloss not to be matte, but not much more. The lines are clear, the colors are popping, and the titles are the original calligraphed ones. The back design and colors are nice enough in a discreet way.

 

 

Unlike some of the other reproductions that have been popping up of late, it comes with a LWB: a condensed version of "The Pictorial Key to the Tarot." (It says so on the cover.)

 

 

Now --is it a bona fide reproduction from an early deck? I don't know. The colors seem too bright for that --blues, yellows, reds and oranges that are positively electric; the grays seem to my not-too-discerning eyes to have a touch of lavender. They claim to have done some retooling; in their own words, they "have digitized the card graphics to bring you crisp, vectorized images." They ARE crisp; the recent Urania edition looks pale and wan in comparison. A purist will probably find some of the fine detail a little lacking, and the images have been blown up a little so, for example, the outer edge of the serpent in the Lovers is missing. Me, I don't mind so much. And, unlike the other recent independent reproductions, the production values are impeccable, particularly for something at this price point.

 

 

What do you guys think?

[Ephemeridae]

I just had a multi-week long hem and haw about which RWS deck to purchase as I didn't have one yet. I ended up going with the Universal Waite. I'm sort of disappointed that I missed this one in my searches, I quite like it.

[EmpyreanKnight]

I'll be watching this deck (I have a strict moratorium until my birthday since I've been so profligate this year). I've already found my holy grail RWS in the Centennial, but a linen standard-sized RWS sounds delicious. You say that it has electric and vivid colors - so it's sorta like the yellow-box Rider Tarot by USG with a kinda matte and linen finish?

 

What caught my eye tho was one of the Amazon reviews. Is it really THE Anthony Louis who gave it a five-star rating? :o

[FLizarraga]

I don't have the yellow box Rider, but the colors of this one are like the Radiant's. They are BRIGHT. And yes, the Anthony Louis of Tarot Plain and Simple fame gave it a 4-star rating --deducted one because the price kept going up.

 

 

Which brings me to you, Ephemeridae. You better try and snatch it while the going is good. It could go up in price --or You Know Who could slap'em with a cease and desist...

 

 

 

 

 

[Nanook]

Amazon shows it as “currently unavailable “ - damn!

[Guest]

i just grabbed the Universal also because this one was out of stock...the back of the card looks nicer on these IMO

[FLizarraga]

Darn! That was quick.

[FLizarraga]

So yet another independent RWS reproduction bites the dust, huh?  ::)

 

 

It's a real pity, because it is the nicest of the bunch. I was going to order a second copy, and waited too long...

[EmpyreanKnight]

When you posted the link, I distinctly remember that there were only 2 copies remaining. I hope for the sake of its fans that the publisher would release it again. It seems like it sold like hotcakes so maybe they will. :)

[katrinka]

There's a lot of reasons it could be unavailable. And there are other indie RWS decks available, so I don't think this one got shut down.

USG is a lion, but it's an old lion where RWS is concerned, and it lost a lot of teeth.

I think we should all make altered RWS decks and put them up as free downloads.

Edited July 5, 2020 by katrinka

[EmpyreanKnight]

Hmmm maybe US Games isn't as litigious now as it was before. The 1910 Rider Tarot Revived has been up for quite some time and is now the #1 Amazon Bestseller in Tarot Cards (or so the site says) but it's still up.

 

On the other hand, was it only last year when AG Muller shuttered their offerings for the Tarot of A.E. Waite in their own website?

[katrinka]

Yes, I think so. And I was guessing that since AGM  is in Europe, the deck might still be in copyright there.

So I double checked. And it isn't. http://www.sacred-texts.com/tarot/faq.htm#US1909

 

The RWS appears to be in the Public Domain. Period. All over the world.

 

Edited July 5, 2020 by katrinka

[EmpyreanKnight]

I do hope their stranglehold over the RWS is now over.

 

I read the Sacred Texts link and it states that it is in the public domain in the US since it's published before 1922. There is some question about the UK/EU copyright where AG Muller is, since if Waite is the sole author, the copyright should have lapsed since 2012, 70 years after his death, whereas if Smith is co-author (which is debatable since they say the deck is a commissioned work), it still stands until 2021, at least for the UK/EU. So in that area maybe things are still dicey.

 

I don't wish to sound cynical, but maybe all the hommages to Smith since the late 2000's sprang from that. I don't wish to denigrate their efforts tho, since I love their Smith Commemorative Set and their Smith-Waite Centennial Tarot is my absolute favorite RWS. Still, it's a good thing that their grip on the RWS has now loosened.

[katrinka]

I thought of that, too. It's good to see her getting recognition, but they make SUCH a fuss over her these days. They always ignored her before, now they ignore Waite. They're just too strident about it.

 

I think it's just smoke and mirrors, it doesn't change the law. "Work for hire".

 

And even if it did (which it doesn't), they have three years. That's it.

[FLizarraga]

I did not know about Benebell's deck, and I'm glad it worked out for her. (Smart, yes!  :D )

 

 

I do hope that the whole copyright farce is finally (FINALLY!) over, as tidings such as these and the continuing sale of the 1910 Revived seem to indicate.

 

 

And I do agree with you about the whole sudden Pixie cult, katrinka. Her art (such as it is) was an acquired taste for me; in time, I have grown fond of it, but let's face it, she was a skilled, yet uninspired illustrator. I cannot see her as a co-creator the way Lady Harris undoubtedly was.

[katrinka]

"Illustrator" is apt - she was a bit of a Tasha Tudor figure (childrens' books, etc.). Harris was a lot more visionary, IMHO.

[FLizarraga]

"Illustrator" is apt - she was a bit of a Tasha Tudor figure (childrens' books, etc.). Harris was a lot more visionary, IMHO.

 

 

Not only that, but she worked on the Thoth not as a hired contractor, but as a true collaborator. Without her, the whole sacred geometry angle would simply not be there.