Waite-Smith Tarot
From Tarotpedia
See also Tarot Decks: Waite-Smith Pattern
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[edit] Description
This deck is also known as the "Waite-Colman Smith", "Rider-Waite-Smith", "RWS", and the "Rider-Waite" deck, this last title has been copyrighted by US Games in approximately 1971.
Unlike major earlier decks, this deck designed by Arthur Waite and Pamela Colman Smith has scenes depicted on all cards except the four Aces. Earlier decks, with few exceptions (such as the Sola Busca deck) tend to have all pips illustrated with a combination of suit depiction (ten cups with ten cups, for example) and, at most, 'floral' additions.
A number of pip scenes on the Waite-Smith deck are clearly derived from the Sola Busca deck (at the time on display at the British Museum). Some of the major arcana designs derive from Eliphas Levi (such as the Chariot and the Wheel of Fortune), and others from variations on early Tarot (such as depicting horse-riders on both the Death and the Sun cards).
[edit] Creators
Arthur Waite and Pamela Colman Smith
[edit] Publishing details
originally, no ISBN.
[edit] Date of Publication
Originally 1909
[edit] Publisher
Various printing houses have published this deck. The first, Rider, has also given it one of its common appelations. The deck has been published as 'Rider-Waite' by US Games since the 1970s.
[edit] Deck creation and/or publication process
To be added
[edit] Further Information
The Tarotpedia listing of Waite-Smith Companion Books.
K. Frank Jensen's 'The Early Waite-Smith Tarot editions' (first published in the IPCS journal, 2005)
K. Frank Jensen's book: The Story of the Waite-Smith Deck [1]
