I like to think that A.E. Waite's "Pictorial Key to the Tarot" started life out as the written notes given to Pamela Coleman Smith for her to draw the cards.
It's interesting how many decks make a reference to the Waite Colman Smith deck without going all-in and keeping to the core elements Waite said were important.
Admittedly, it only gets problematic when folks keep to Waite's designs except for, say, the suite's face cards, where they do something new and undocumented.
@yam655 they don't come with a Little White Book or other instructions?
Not always, no.
The thing is, when so many of the decks draw from RWS imagery, it is super easy to manage without another little white book repeating nearly identical information.
When they're a big game/publishing company, they're likely to include a book anyway.
But when they're small artists Kickstarting their own decks... Their understanding of the imagery may not always even be based in words.
It just gets hard when they don't share their thinking.
@yam655 yeah I wish they'd document their thinking if only for cards that deviate significantly from standard RW imagery. :/
@yam655 What’s your take on the Morgan Greer specifically re this particular criteria?
I had to look up this deck. So, it combines Waite's research with that of another high magician, Case.
One of my issues with Waite is that swapping Strength and Judgement shows a fundamental lack of understanding about the tarot.
Like the astronomers insistent upon divine geometry, there is a simplicity to tarot that is hidden behind layers of esotericism for Waite and Case.
Waite refused to acknowledge aspects of the Tarot because they didn't fit his own esoteric assumptions.
The Morgan Greer deck _has_ books you can read to understand the deck better.
They may not be written by the illustrator of the deck, but when all of the documentation for the deck mentions Waite and Case, it is exceedingly easy to find Case's books on the tarot.
But, like the RWS deck, there's likely an expectation of the reader already being an initiate of various high magick mysteries.
It's interesting that the "next great thing in Tarot" isn't referenced by other decks, though.
@yam655 I’m into it
That's totally valid.
The whole, "there are whole books explaining how to read this particular deck, they're just not written by the illustrator" is an area that more tarot and oracle decks would benefit from leaning in to, as far as I'm concerned.
It doesn't have to be a one person process.
I have some disagreements with some of Waite's assumptions about the tarot. I'm cool with folks doing their own thing. After all, we can't debate the guy on any of his decisions.
I also like buying Kickstarter tarot decks. I like to support small artists.
But I've also found lovely decks that I quite enjoy and been left staring blankly at some of the cards, not having the foggiest notion of how the card is supposed to fit with the rest of the deck.