Pamela Colman Smith Commemorative Set

First, make sure this is the Pamela Coleman Smith Commemorative Edition (PCSC ed.) not the Centennial—I mean, assuming that’s what you want. (The other seems similar, but smaller, and in a tin, and I don’t own them.). [This review has been edited to add pictures and expand on some points, but mostly to correct the appalling typos!] I can’t say enough about these cards. Others might think they’re too dark, or not as striking at the usual RWS versions, or whatever, and that’s fine. There are plenty of choices for us all. I think this one gives you an antique choice—this may be as close to the original RWS deck as we can get. The cards are are not too thick to handle with ease. CBD Tarot de Marseille and The Golden Tarot are examples of “riffle-proof” decks. Those cards are so thick it’s nearly impossible to shuffle by flexing two halves between your hands so they whisk together like magic. Many prefer the running (overhand) shuffle anyway. But the PCSC ed. deck under review riffles with ease. The flip side is they are thin enough to bow if you do crazy things with your cards like put them in a bag beneath your head at night. CBD wouldn’t be bothered by that, but you know what you expect from your deck. Make no mistake: these are well-made cards that won’t feel flimsy or likely to wear out soon. So take them for a spin and come back smiling at the ease of handling. What do they look like? Old Timey. The colors are muted which makes a huge difference. There aren’t differences in the illustrations—this is just a beautiful, historical deck that transports to you the turn of the 20th Century. Now-beloved artist Pamela Coleman “Pixie” Smith did a job for A.E. Waite she described as a lot of work for very little money! Call me sentimental, but I felt closer to the artist with this deck. They are not only pretty, but have a great vibe. The word “tasteful” comes to mind. I can’t think of anything quite like it. I have included a picture of couple of familiar ladies and the back. Smith’s distinctive initials that are tucked away all tiny in a corner of almost every card are great big on the backs. There is something self-consciously artistic and charming about them, now seen large and proud. Almost touching. This is HER commemorative edition, after all, so it’s a good reaction! I’m not sure how well it comes through, but the yellow backgrounds are very slightly mottled as opposed to the bright flat (some would say garish) color of the typical RWS deck. The printing process leaves visible lines to shade the skin—if you look very, very closely you can see it. Check out the closeup of Strength. At normal distances for reading or other work, you’re not going to notice. Overall, it adds to—indeed is—the authenticity, which is why you’re interested in this deck, right? There is seldom a great match in RWS decks with the busy details and colors (except for recolored decks done well) and the faithful reproduction does not help here with that, but I don’t see it as a problem. Nothing is obscured. The muted colors may be less of a distraction. A lot of other stuff comes with the attractively designed and strong double box. A nice see-through bag for example. Some have expressed doubt whether it will protect your cards. I have had the same kind of bag with another deck and it was great. Even if it’s just until you get a different bag, it’s nice. There’s a lovely book about Pixie herself. It and several additional non-tarot cards shows a sample of her less-familiar work. The other side of the box holds A.E. Waite’s familiar “Pictorial” Key to the Tarot without pictures. Imagine this was out for the first time! I think sometimes A.E.W. Is given too little credit, just as P.C.S. has been too little credit. His book isn’t bad, operating as he was under oaths of secrecy and apparently sometimes none too sure what Pixie had done with a few illustrations! This is a beautiful deck that belongs in the collection of every tarot fancier, especially those interested in the deck that seized the imagination of the English-speaking world and became simply “The Tarot” for countless students.

This is great boxed set. The package will keep the cards well-protected, the book is nice (typical stuff really), and the art-book is nice extra over-view of the artist's work, which most people aren't familiar with apart from the cards, though Smith was famous in her day already before she was commissioned to make them. The deck is typical "full-size tarot", not a mini deck and not oversized, of good stock, both shuffleable and unlikely to be damaged by suffling. The color treatment of the art is probably the best ever for the R-W-S cards. It is toned down considerably from the typical version (no more "radioactive banana" yellow, etc.), but is not so muted that it looks sombre or pretentiously faux-antique. It's just a really good color scheme for this traditional early-20th-century art inspired by Victorian Romanticism. I personally wish Smith had borrowed more from Art Nouveau, but it is what it is. She probably felt that was too trendy at the time. (And modern Nouveau-style decks are honestly a bit overwrought and look more pseudo-nouveau, like a lot of 1960s album art.) For those entirely unfamiliar with R-W-S or Rider-Waite decks: It's very traditional trump card imagery "keyed" with various Qabbalistic and Western Esoteric stuff (think Masons, Rosicrucians, Golden Dawn, etc.), and with the pip cards (10 of Wands, 3 of Cups, etc.) all illustrated with scenes that help jog one's memory of what the cards indicate (in traditional interpretations, anyway). The R-W-S illustrations have, over the last century or so, become themselves traditional, and most decks are at least loosely based on them (compare any card from this set and, say, Palladini's Aquarian Tarot, and you'll see a great deal of correspondence), and many are outright ripoffs (e.g. the Albano Waite deck, which my other had and which I grew up with). So, this kind of deck is much easier to work with than one with pip cards that don't show anything but 10 wands or 3 cups without human figures doing anything with them (e.g. Courtney Davis's The Celtic Tarot, which has gorgeous trumps but pips of that only an expert can interpret). Anyway, I was casting about for a new deck, and considered many options, but this item just "grabbed" me: the ultra-familiar R-W-S art but easier on the eyes, and packaged with great extras in a nice storage box, all for a good price, and without sacrificing any quality as to card stock, print clarity, card size, etc., and without any goofy newage reinvention of card meanings. This is just "pure" 20th-century tarot. Ultra-traditionalists who don't want any Qabbalah/Estotericism influences will want a pre-R-W-S set, I'm sure. But that's a specialized niche, and you'd be well advised to get Kaplan's three-volume Encyclopedia of Tarot and pore over it to decide what to look for (plus they're gorgeous and informative books). You might have to get something from Lo Scarabeo, who produce more pre-20th-century-traditional decks, including gypsy style, le Normand, etc. For typical American, British, Canadian, etc., tarot fans who are probably learning from 20th-century tarot books and familiar with at least the basics of the R-W-S art and its signification, you really can't go wrong with this particular package, unless you just desperately want something with goofy CGI art, or feel a burning need for a culturally-specific reinterpretation like wiccan, witch, Celtic, Asatru, etc., for which there are many options. Just be warned that most of them make major changes. Normally, I would knock off one star for the manufacturer putting copyright notices along the side of every single card, which is legally unnecessary and just an ugly imposition. But a) they (and several other printers) do this with all sets, and b) I don't want to discourage anyone getting this set. I can apply my "stop marring the cards" advocacy by down-voting a star in other review of other decks. THIS one is such a good deal I think anyone into tarot should get it while it is still even available. These things tend to go out-of-print quickly and the shoot upward in price as collectors' items.

付録のパメラ・コールマン・スミスの画集が目当てで購入しました。 画集と見比べると、このカードはパメラ女史の画風を良く伝えていると思いました。ケースも含めた全体が、アールヌーボーの雰囲気を醸し出すデザインです。ど素人の身を省みず感想を言わせて頂けば、ウェイト版タロットの様々なバージョンがある中、この画家本来の画風及びそれに影響を与えていた製作当時の時代の風を再現した点にかけては、このセットが一番ではないでしょうか。 また、カード裏面のデザインもセンスが良く、嬉しかったです。 画集とあともう一冊の付録であるウェイトによる解説本も、いずれも予想以上にしっかりした書籍で、好企画だと思いました。 なお、このウェイトの解説本の日本語翻訳は、「タロット公式テキストブック」(魔女の家BOOKS)として出版されています。アレクサンドリア木星王先生による同書の解説によると、タロットは大好評でしたが、パメラ女史はその後ゴールデンドーンを脱退。そのため、ライダー社が第二弾の発売を望んでいたにも関わらず、女史が再びタロットを描く機会は無かったそうです。晩年は経済的に恵まれない生活だったとか。 実に残念なお話です。 せめて、このデッキでパメラ女史の遺業を少しでも偲べたらと思いました。

These cards are soooooo beautiful. I love the fact that they aren't very shiny. (Some tarot cards are way too shiny) I really really like the muted colours. It gives an old time vintage feel. I really really like the backs of the cards, they are a nice light blue with a simple flower in the middle and Pamela's signature. The size is perfect and the thickness of the cards is also right on point. If you are looking for a rider Waite tarot deck and you're not sure which one to choose, I recommend looking at the comparison videos on YouTube. I unfortunately couldn't find the video that helped me but there are quite a few videos that talk about the differences in colour, texture, shine, and print quality. Not to mention decks printed in different decades. ( there are differences!) Because I like vintage looking things I quite like this deck. I feel like it's also a high quality deck in terms of colour, shape, texture like I mentioned. The extras that come in the set, the mesh bag, the little postcard sized renderings of her art, I wasn't too thrilled about. They weren't the best quality. But, they are just extras really. I bought the set for the deck itself. And it's my go to tarot deck now :)

Beau coffret, bien complet avec 2 livres 1 sur l'art de Pamela Colman Smith , et 1 sur le Tarot d'après Edward Waite, très intéressant ( pour les anglophones)quelques cartes postales très belles, ensuite le jeu , je regrette un peu la qualité du jeu.. qui est quand même le but de ce coffret .. les cartes ne sont pas bien cadrées .. petit détail mais on attendais quelque chose d'un peu mieux.. je préfère le jeu Original Waite, sinon pour le prix qui reste abordable c'est un très beau cadeau à offrir ou à s'offrir .

O Tarot mais lindo e de boa qualidade que eu já tive. Valeu SUPER à pena. A qualidade é muito boa, e as imagens parecem uma pintura perfeita. Recomendo.!

Beautiful set, the best complete edition, you get a gorgeous box, 2 books : the original pictorial key to the tarot and a book with the artwork and introduction to Pamela Colman Smith, a facsimile of an original 1909 RWS tarot from Kaplan's personal collection which give you that nice vintage feel. I absolutely love it, if you get only one, I would get this edition and set.