TdM deck recommendation for tarot newbie?

shaveling said:

My advice is like Michellehihi's: pick the deck that appeals to you, on the basis of the artwork and the size of the cards and such. Whether the deck is an old or modern version, clean lines or messy & ambiguous, are also issues for some people. But I don't think there is a deck that's particularly suited to people new to the TdM.

My personal favorite is the Burdel-based Lo Scarabeo, the one with the white backgrounds and primary colors, rather than the Universal. It has a left-handed Ace of Swords, hilted swords, round-looking staves, fleurs-de-lys on the coins, and a mildly obscene detail in the the Queen of Staves found in some TdM decks. And loud colors. This isn't a suggestion for your own choice, but an example of the silly little things that might feed into finding a preferred deck.

As you already have the Camoin-Jodorowsky, my personal suggestion would be to get an older style, 78 card deck, either a cleaned-up restoration or a facsimile deck that is less altered.

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Clearly, I need to research all the decks so I have a better understanding of the differences.

I've just gotten a copy of Vol 1 of the Tarot Encyclopedia. Time to start reading! ;-)

Aster Breo said:

This is an interesting deck with a very modern feel to it. Am I correct that it's a re-drawing of the Conver deck? The comparison pics show that it's both very similar and very different.

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Yes, it is certainly a renovation of the Conver. The hash marks, which originally represented shading in wood block printing, have been replaced mostly by actual color shading. The faces have been re-drawn in a sort of manga style, but the facial expressions have been preserved fairly well, I think.

Aster Breo said:

Thank you all for your suggestions! I'm checking them out as I have time.



Is this the deck you mean?

http://tarot-de-marseille-heritage.com/english/catalogue_madenie1709.html

If so, it's beautiful! I really like the more subdued colors. The bright colors of some of the other decks feel kinda......garish...?...to me.

Of course, I don't have a clue what the colors on the original decks look like.

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yes this is the one. I have it and I read with it!

shaveling said:

This is a facsimile deck of cards printed from the old wooden blocks. The cards are big enough to see the details, or more often, that the details are fuzzy and ambiguous. The earlier, American edition of this reproduction often shows up on eBay as The Tarot Set by Jane Lyle.

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I am curious about this deck? Never seen it, is it a Conver?

Yes, it is a Conver.

shaveling said:

Yes, it is a Conver.

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Thank you for telling me. I have a tendecy to buy all Marseille decks that I find. But Conver, really, I have it already and it is not my favorite.

Great find! I have a later Conver wooden block repro with a recarved (?) L'Empereur and 'Valet de Dernier', so this deck is really what I was looking for!

shaveling said:

As you already have the Camoin-Jodorowsky, my personal suggestion would be to get an older style, 78 card deck, either a cleaned-up restoration or a facsimile deck that is less altered. That would give you some variety in the decks you have to choose from.

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Stupid follow-up question:

How do I find out which decks are older, which are faithful reproductions, which have made changes, etc?

Is there a good resource for comparing these decks?

I have Vol 1 of the Tarot Encyclopedia, but I think there are many decks now that have come out after the book was published.

Aster Breo said:

Is there a good resource for comparing these decks?

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I read about them here on AT. If there's a thread about a new release or discovery, I'll almost always read that. And there's the search function for specific decks. The posts about specific decks often have hyperlinks to other places, sometimes including the creator's website.

Also, if you click on "Tarot Decks" at the top of this page, you'll find a link at the bottom of the new page for a list of Marseille decks.

I check Kaplan's Encyclopedia sometimes, too. But reading posts here seems to provide more sorts of information, and opinions, from more points of view.

AT certainly is a treasure trove of information! I've definitely learned at least as much here as I have from books. No question.

But there are some drawbacks. If you don't already know the names of the decks, you can't search for them.

Also, while I've learned a bit about which posters here are considered experts, it's difficult to know whose info and opinions to trust. I've been on other forums long enough to understand that not all members who post with "authority" really know what they're talking about. Ya know?

And the info about each deck varies widely, just by the nature of this being a discussion forum.

So, I'm wondering if there's a book (more recent than the Tarot Encyclopedia) or a website where the info on the many TdM and similar decks is compiled in a way that allows comparison.

I mean, *why* do some people recommend the Jodorowsky-Camoin deck, while others don't like it? What's the difference between the Madenie, the Hadar, the Burdel, and the Fournier? (Just to name few of the decks that have been mentioned in this thread.) Someone suggested that, since I have the Noblet trumps repro deck, I might like something "more fuzzy and kicked around looking". What decks would those be? How do I find the reputable sellers?

That's the sort of info I'm looking for. Does it even exist?

To reiterate: I'm extremely grateful for the very knowledgeable people who share their expertise here! I've leaned SO much from AT. :-D

And I understand that what I'm seeking might not exist anywhere. (I've also been looking for a comprehensive history of Lenormand-related decks, but that doesn't seem to exist.)

But it's worth asking about, right? ;-)