Arthur Edward Waite encouraged Pamela Colman Smith to design an artful tarot deck that would have more significance behind the symbols, with the goal of making the deck more important than tarot packs previously used for centuries.
In 1909, the Rider-Waite Tarot deck was introduced, and it has endured as the world’s most popular 78-card tarot deck ever since. The innovative cards, including the 56 Minor Arcana, depict full scenes with figures and symbols.
Buy The Rider-Waite Tarot Cards for $12.36US+
What Others Say About This Deck
This is my favorite of the Rider Waite Smith decks. The lines and detail are very clear and crisp. That makes a difference. Look at the Knight of Swords. In other RWS decks, the corner of the horse’s mouth is going down and it looks like the horse is looking backwards. The horse looks apprehensive. In this deck, the lines for the horse’s mouth and eyes are cleaner. The horse looks like he is grinning and happy to be charging ahead.
I like the colors used, but they may not appeal to everybody. The colors are beige, light green, red and yellow. No blue. The green makes the reds pop. I also like the thick lines and the bold, flat shapes. The backs are a pretty light blue and white design with roses.
I know this deck might not appeal to everyone. This is why there are so many versions of the RWS deck out there. For me, the original is the best.


