The Rider Waite Tarot Deck | Tarot Cards | Arthur Edward Waite
- Written By: Arthur Edward Waite
- Illustrated By: Pamela Colman Smith About the Deck
First published in 1909, this is the deck that changed tarot forever. Created through the collaboration of occult scholar Arthur Edward Waite and artist Pamela Colman Smith, it broke from centuries of tradition by giving every card in the deck — Major and Minor Arcana alike — a fully illustrated scene, rather than the plain repeating symbols found on earlier decks. That single shift made tarot far more intuitive to read, and it's the reason nearly every modern deck since has followed the same visual language. This edition preserves Smith's original hand-drawn titles and comes with an instruction booklet, keeping the deck as close as possible to its historic 1909 form. Who It's For
A true cornerstone deck, equally at home with someone picking up tarot for the very first time and with a seasoned reader who wants the authentic original in their collection. Its imagery is the foundation most tarot teaching still refers back to, making it a natural choice for students, teachers, and collectors alike. What's Inside
- 78 tarot cards in total
- 22 Major Arcana cards depicting archetypal energies and life's spiritual journey
- 56 fully illustrated Minor Arcana cards — a first for tarot at the time, and still what makes this deck so easy to read intuitively
- Original hand-drawn card titles, preserved from the 1909 artwork
- Instruction booklet included About the Author
Arthur Edward Waite (1857–1942) was a genuine scholar of occultism, writing extensively on mysticism, ceremonial magic, and the Western esoteric tradition throughout his life. As a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, he commissioned Pamela Colman Smith to create this deck under his direction, drawing on his deep knowledge of symbolism to shape its imagery. Waite went on to detail the deck's meanings in his companion volume, The Key to the Tarot. About the Illustrator
Pamela Colman Smith was an artist and fellow member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, whose varied mystical influences flow through every card she created. It was her decision to fully illustrate the Minor Arcana — rather than leaving them as simple repeated suit symbols — that set this deck apart from everything that came before it, and her artwork has gone on to shape the visual language of tarot for generations of readers and deck creators since. Publisher
U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Disclaimer
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