The Rider Tarot Deck by Waite (1975)

This Tarot deck is the standard in Tarot. It has clear, powerful symbolism in its intense graphics as well as a comprehsensive booklet that comes with it. It is a must have for every tarot collection.

As far as Tarot decks go, you simply can't go wrong with the Rider Tarot Deck. This deck was developed almost a hundred years ago by a member of the Golden Dawn, Arthur E. Waite. He gathered divinatory meanings for the Tarot decks that existed at the time, decks like the Tarot de Marseille, and tried to put those divinatory meanings in a pictorial format. Pamela Coleman Smith, an English artist, drew the illustrations, and most likely, also played a major role in developing the designs.

Until this deck, most Tarot decks had very simple, non-pictured minor cards. The Major Arcana (22 cards) was illustrated and so were the court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, and King) but the others: the six of swords showed...six swords.

Waite and Smith took the meaning of the six of swords (“travel” “improving cirucumstances” “a journey by water”) and illustrated it as a couple traveling in a boat—darkness behind them, but a lighter sunnier sky before them. The deck was published by Rider Company and became "The Rider Waite Tarot." It's also sometimes called the Rider Tarot or the Waite Tarot. Originally, no mention of Smith--that's 1900's sexism for you. :-D

Probably because of this relative ease of use compared to other decks on the market, the Rider Waite Tarot became very popular. For many years, it was essentially the only Tarot deck available. As time went by, it began sneaking into other areas besides simply fortune-telling. Psychologists discovered it and decided the Major Arcana could relate to universal human archetypes. Writers and Artists discovered it as a tool to prompt creativity. And sixties flower children discovered it as a tool of rebellion.

Other Tarot decks were developed. Some used the original Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) images as inspiration, re-coloring or re-drawing them. Some took the RWS images and re-interpreted them in new ways. The Robin Wood took the RWS and made it pagan. The Hanson Roberts made the images prettier and more life-like. The Motherpeace and Daughters of the Moon Tarots took a feminist perspective; the Vision Quest, a Native American perspective.

But amid all the newer tarots, the RWS stands as a classic, timeless Tarot deck. The images are generally easy to understand and interpret, making the meanings of the cards easier to remember. So very many books are based upon the RWS images that it is very easy to find reference material that will help everyone from beginners to experts develop their skill in using the deck.

The RWS tarot is the usually the one pictured in TV shows and movies. It is the iconic Tarot deck--the essence of modern Tarot. Everyone needs a RWS tarot. :)
Even if you find yourself attracted to some of the more modern decks out there, you still need a RWS so that you can appreciate some of the history of the Tarot and of the development of the images.

This is a deck that is excellent for beginners as well as experts.