Alchemy 1977 England Tarot

I' so bad at reading body language on people, I wouldn't presume to try to read body language on a dragon! Though I am getting some facility with cats...

I still find this intriguing. I'll have to give it some thought. This deck appeals to me on several levels. So far.

I just saw some scans of this deck and it look beautiful.

My ex gave me this deck a few weeks ago, but I'm only just now getting around to adding it to my database. It came with 2 LWBs, one in the shrinkwrapped box, and one separate. I figured that meant that there was a problem with the one in the box, but didn't have the time until now to figure out what. The issue is on pages 29-30 (in the English section). The interpretations for the 8 through 2 Cups are missing. In the incorrect LWB, the bottom of page 29 contains the description for the 9 Cups and the top of page 30 contains the description for the Ace Cups.

Cards are 60 mm x 110 mm, so just slightly thinner and shorter than LoScarabeo decks. They're not heavily varnished like USG decks. Feels like there's a little more varnish (or whatever) on the cards than on a LoS deck, but stacked side by side, the decks are the same height, so that may be a figment of my imagination.

For the Courts, the King of each suit is a dragon. The Knaves of Swords and Wands look like Grim Reapers, with the Knave Swords having 2 scythes while the Knave Wands only has one. The Knave of Chalices looks like a gargoyle coming to life, and the Knave Pentacles is a werewolf.

The Minors aren't straight pips. The Ace, 2, 4 and 5 Pentacles are illustrated while the rest of the suit are pips. The Ace - 4 Chalices are illustrated while the 5-10 are pips. The Ace-4 and 6 of Swords are illustrated while the others are pips. The Ace - 4 Wands are illustrated while the rest are pips.

The Wands suit symbol looks like black roses to me. The other suits' symbols are as expected. I like the hilt on the Swords though - looks like an evil bad-ass alien head.

The LWB seems to contain RWS interpretations for the Minors. Both upright and reversed meanings are listed for all of the cards.

Rodney

So many of the cards look so beautiful i love the skulls...but, i am still wondering if this deck might be too dark for me...i am in a conundrum! HELP!!!

MoonGypsy said:

So many of the cards look so beautiful i love the skulls...but, i am still wondering if this deck might be too dark for me...i am in a conundrum! HELP!!!

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Well, depending on which way you want to go, you know there are the Enabling and De-Enabling threads....

Not sure if this is enabling or de-enabling, but the card backs are rather demonic-looking skulls in an overlapping pattern....

rwcarter said:

Well, depending on which way you want to go, you know there are the Enabling and De-Enabling threads....

Not sure if this is enabling or de-enabling, but the card backs are rather demonic-looking skulls in an overlapping pattern....

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Thanks Rodney,

It's those blasted backs that [mainly] have me hesitating.. You are right--i may just have to wend my way over to the enabling [or de-enabling thread] as you mentioned...

Just got this in the afternoon post. Mine - like rodney's - also came with an extra LWB strapped to the outside which - at first glance - looks exactly the same. Fournier do a "one-size-fits-all" LWB which is utterly hopeless.

But this is quite a wonderful deck. As it was released at about the same time as the Anne Stokes one I always confuse the imagery of the two but on closer inspection this is much better. It has a kind of Über-Gothic/Metallica feel. I'm not of that ilk but find myself drawn to this one. It's odd what size can do for love of a deck. It is the perfect size, faultless cardstock but very dark, gothicky and ornamented with parapets and blackness and skulls and dragons and gargoyles. Kind of *fun* dark for sulking teenagers who want to shock, but I do rather like it. I love the parchments backdrop on the pips with gothic script. This is much more hardcore *dark* than that Llewellyn Vampyre Tarot but - alas - non-scenic pips will lessen its popularity, though I think it is a far better deck. Very beautiful, with intricate artwork and rich colours and glowing chalices though it still seems to be slowly filtering through to the usual suppliers. I am drawn to it, though the Mary-El continues to hold my attention right now...

LS has a few dark decks out this year and I'm rather looking forward to owning all of them. The Queen of Swords in this deck was reason enough for me to wan to buy it

This one is Fournier, and only distributed by LS.

Just saying, as people tend to congratulate/blast LS for these decks (there are now several) which they distribute but did not create.

Mine didn't have an extra LWB. Are there errors in the other ??

They did bring out the Royo Dark very recently. It's delightfully gloomy.

gregory said:

Mine didn't have an extra LWB. Are there errors in the other ?

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You're not going to make me read two Fournier LWBs are you? From what I can see they are both identical to the ones you get now with all Fournier decks - Tarot Genovés, the newer El Gran Tarot Esoterico etc. They really look the same to me.

And yes (reiterating gregory) ; not LoS. Beautiful production on this deck, the printing, cardstock, quality of the reproduction. I could use this deck quite happily even though it is a bit of a goth-fest. Do you have the Anne Stokes Tarot yet gregory, would you agree that this one is superior in imagery?