The Lovers Tarot

Back of card: Navy blue, with a border in thin gold line & a couple of printer's swirls, one on each end. May be inverted.

Book included: Yes, 208 pages, 5 x 8.5 inches; or 128 x 217 millimeters, illustrated.

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books, part of St. Martin's Press. Printed in China.

Comments: In 2003, this deck was expanded from the Major Arcana version of 1992, to a full 78 cards. Some of the more obvious changes: The cards are now a normal size (eg, smaller than before), the back of the cards is slightly different, the book is a tiny bit shorter & 50 pages longer, illustrations are now black & white (to be exact, dark blue ink & white paper). They used to be in color.

As is sometimes the case with 22 card decks that expand to 78, the 56 new cards do not show the same care as the original 22, not in the deck nor in the book. Pip cards are as basic as can be. (This does not stop the book from calling the Two of Cups a "beautiful card".) Court cards are nicely done (all four Pages, above), and, of course, the 22 major arcanas are still splendid. Most of the art was taken from Renaissance & Pre-Raphaelite sources. You will recgonize much of it, but none of it is credited.

The book has a full discussion of each of the major arcanas (as before), under these headings: About You: The Gift, the Challenge; About Your Partner: The Gift, the Challenge; About the Relationship: The Gift, the Challenge; and, About the Future: The Gift, the Challenge. Cards right way up are Gifts, inverted, they're Challenges. Each of the majors gets six pages. When it comes to the minors, aces & court cards are illustrated & get a page each. Pips are "crammed" two to a page & are not illustrated.

Still a beautiful deck.

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