The Pamela Colman Smith Centennial Deck review thread

the pictorial guide I had in my original kit, was just words no pics.

I always thought it meant a guide to the pictures/symbols of the cards, rather than pictures to explain the cards.. But maybe I just never questioned the title before lol.

inanna_tarot said:

the pictorial guide I had in my original kit, was just words no pics.

I always thought it meant a guide to the pictures/symbols of the cards, rather than pictures to explain the cards.. But maybe I just never questioned the title before lol.

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ah,
i see,
i guess i thought maybe there would be pictures of the cards; however,
no problem to draw the card and have it available when reading the book.
language can be so confusing for me!
what seems simple,
sometimes is not.
this is why a smile is such a blessed thing!

This set is definitely worth the price -- especially if you want an authentically-colored RWS. I don't think it's "restored" in the classic sense, but it's a better printing than the deck titled the "original" RWS.

The problem is, of course, that the original drawings are lost, and I assume, so are the original plates. In order to reprint on modern machinery, the original cards were scanned, and the screen had to be removed as much as possible, without disturbing the black outlines. This is extremely time-consuming, and results in the splotchy effect seen on most of the cards. US Games could have gone farther and re-drawn the artwork, but then it would not have been as authentic. All in all, not a bad job considering what they had to work with.

The essay by Kaplan and the deck make this set more than worth what it costs.

Greg Stanton said:

This is extremely time-consuming, and results in the splotchy effect seen on most of the cards.

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No, the splotchy effect you see on the cards is actually also present on the original that was scanned. That is some side effect of the original printing. The only thing that is a bit different is the hue of the colours, which is a bit more greenish.

But all in all, a great set. Especially if you see what you get for that price!

Got my pack today and I am so thrilled! Its the best RWS deck out there but MILES imo.

Love the book on the artist, and the nice edition of the pictorial guide. I agree the binding isnt brilliant and feels like the pages will fall out if you brake the spine, but I hate braking spines. I'm really looking forward to reading all about PCS and who she was! Cant believe we've had a chance to get into the artists mind till now, although i guess a lot of Waites input is in there still.

And the greenish tint is perfect for me! Far far far far better than the super crisp Universal RWS i've got and I can see this version being my friend
I even like the blue organza bag, it sort of matches the cover and blue is the emotions and intuition that we use.. like its draped and 'protected' by PCS's own artistic talents.

Or maybe Im just swooning too much lol. Im very very happy with this set and i havent even had time to play with it!

I like mine too. Nuf ced !

I did my first reading with this deck tonight, which meant it was also the first time I really shuffled the cards. I riffle, and the only word that came to mind when I was shuffling was "crisp" - the cards have a certain snap to them and they glide together oh so easily....

I received this today and I lurrrrrve mine. All the issues with the other editions are not present here. The colouring is so much nicer (there's no powdery-blue or offensive yellow), it has the calligraphy titles, nicer backs than any other edition, the lamination is 'acceptable' (I prefer the papery feel of older editions but with those there's the bad backs and colouring) it just has a waxy finish rather than a full-on plastic or gloss varnish. There are copyrights on the card faces which is a shame as this would have been a very easy thing to change, but they have printed them small and in light font so they don't draw the eye too much. I love the colouring of this edition, and the printing does not have the blotchy appearance of other editions- the 'grain' is visible on larger areas of colour if you look closely, but it's a nice fine texture and it isn't blobby. It's exactly what I wanted and although this deck was quite expensive I really feel it was worth it to finally be looking at this iconic deck and see the artwork properly- and with attractive backs. I haven't had any issues with off-centre printing, so the person who received the off-centre set might want to send them back for a replacement. They finally got this right!

My deck was finally shipped yesterday and I'm getting very excited. You've all made it sound lovely. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much.

I have been using mine too since I got it and I like the way it looks and feels! It is great. I have yet to read the book on Pam's art, I have been saving it for a special occassion. Don't know what yet haha, maybe as a treat for a sick day, bored day, or down day!