Story of the Waite-Smith Tarot

by K. Frank Jensen The Association for Tarot Studies is delighted in being able to present K. Frank Jensen's important book on The Story of the Waite-Smith Tarot. Frank Jensen has long been amongst the key players in presenting information on the development of this important deck in the history of Tarot. During the second half of the 20th century, sales of this deck surpassed all others. We now have the opportunity to read on this deck's history during its key phases during the past 100 years. Whether a enthusiast for this deck or not, this will become a classic in manuscripts that focus openly on important developments. A welcome addition that the Association for Tarot Studies is proud to be able to present. The recommended retail price is set at AU$ 35 (approx €22 / US$ 35) plus postage and handling. Airmail to most parts of the world is above our charge of AU$ 28. If within Australasia, please first contact us for postal charges. Purchasing multiple copies attracks a reduced total cost, subsidised through ATS-incurred partial postal charge. Total cost (+ postage): AU$ 35 (approximately equal to €28 / US$35, subject to currency exchange rates). Also note that this book is also available from Tarot Garden. Orders made directly to the Association are sent within 5 working days following PayPal notification of your payment. > order from our publications page Should you have any questions, including wholesale enquiries, please don't hesitate to ask Jean-Michel David. If you would prefer to pay by International Money Order, our postal address is: Association for Tarot Studies PO Box 4013 Croydon Hills Vic. 3136 Australia

General information Cover size: 21cm x 21 cm (approx. 8.3" x 8.3") Number of pages: 222, of which 14 are colour plates

Waite-Smith Tarot Research

Frank Jensen has made some online corrections to the book, as well as publishing other research on this most popular of decks in the 20th century. For details, see his site at:

> www.manteia-online.dk

Featured Review

Book Review of Frank Jensen's The Story of the Waite-Smith Tarot

As Mr. Jensen notes, “Tarot did not come out of nothing and its history is important to get a full understanding of the phenomenon it is”. The phenomenon clearly has its shadow side, as Jensen’s book in part suggests.

Jensen’s historical overview includes a useful summary of already available information about the originators of the Waite-Smith tarot. The overview of Ms Colman-Smith’s life is particularly of interest as the information is little known and hard to access. A. E. Waite, as Jensen describes him, was an editor of trade publications, a would-be poet, a man with no formal education, and a prolific but mediocre writer. Pamela Colman-Smith, in contrast, was well educated, well-travelled, and a talented and unusual painter, storyteller and illustrator, particularly in the context of being an unmarried, independent female artist in Victorian England. The contrast between the fame and talents of the two protagonists of Mr. Jensen’s story is ironic. The tribute this book pays in many ways to the ignored and forgotten Colman-Smith is one of its most satisfying elements.

A highlight of the second part of the book is its overview of the incarnations and misadventures of the Waite-Smith deck itself over the last century. Jensen’s meticulous research uncovers multiple versions of the deck, not all of them well executed copies of the Colman-Smith original. A key riddle emerges about the fate of the original art work for the deck.

Mr. Jensen raises some challenging questions about the world of commercial tarot publishing, outlining the prolific exploitation of Ms. Colman-Smith’s designs since the 1970s and some uncertainties about copyright law as it has been applied in the publishing world.

Finally, the many questions indirectly raised by Mr. Jensen’s book serve us well by inviting further research and debate. Among these questions might be included:
To what extent was Ms. Colman-Smith involved in the Golden Dawn and how far did this influence the design of the Waite-Smith deck? How exactly did Waite and Colman-Smith collaborate, if at all? How do the card designs, especially for the minor cards, compare to Colman-Smith’s visionary / intuitive painting or her work as a story teller and illustrator? How might we understand the Waite-Smith story, for example the absence of Colman-Smith’s name from the deck she designed, from the angle of gender politics? (Interestingly, Colman-Smith was involved with suffragette movement, as were other women involved with the Golden Dawn.) What did Colman-Smith get paid for her tarot deck designs, and was she or her estate further compensated for the ‘goldmine’ that the deck became for its publishers? What does the story of Waite and Colman-Smith reveal of the more shadowy world of commercial tarot publishing?