This is a gorgeous self-published collector’s deck and you can’t pass it up if you are a fan of antiquated Tarot iconography.  There are many intriguing surprises in this deck.  At first blush you imagine you’re holding an deck from antiquity or at least a re-painted historical deck but you soon notice the style is distinctly different from the methods used in antiquity.  There are more shapes that are triangular and square, the colours more vibrant and… well the imagery?  Dramatic and expressive are two descriptors that come to mind as I ponder the Death and Devil cards especially.

Alexander has given us choices too.  You get to choose whether to have a Strength card as a number 8 or 11 and the same with Justice (in other words he’s done 2 cards of each).  This has been done by a few other Tarotists in the past but not often. I like that opportunity to choose although I continue to grapple with which one I prefer on both counts!

I Have Many Favourites in this Deck

As with every deck we have our favourites.  Mine are the Sun, the 7 Wands and the Death card.  But to be fair I have many favourites in this deck.  The characterization is extraordinary.  The expressions on the characters are arresting and memorable and the way their bodies are arranged is demonstrative.  The depicted characters express volumes.  Alexander is an artist of the human form and this is so helpful for understanding the energy and message of the card.  Some Tarot artists forget to utilize this tool and leave expressions on the characters rather banal or the same card to card.

Recommended Especially for Advanced Students of the Tarot

The card stock is strong, a good size and has a nonglossy varnish furthering the feel of a deck printed in days long past.  The back of the cards is an intricate graphic depicting a collage of imagery taken from the cards.  You could spend some serious time contemplating the back of these cards!

This deck however I could only recommend to more advanced Tarotists.  Ideally you should have prior and thorough knowledge of the Waite deck.  Otherwise you’ll have trouble discerning what card you are looking at.  Many of the pips are not identified at all and the Majors are in Italian (with a number).  When this deck arrives I would recommend keeping it in the order it is packaged to give yourself an opportunity to learn the deck.  He has kindly ordered the cards so that Aces, Twos, Threes etc. are all together.  If you shuffle your deck immediately you’ll definitely have a challenge determining which card is which!

Overall I’m delighted with this deck. It’s Tarot at it’s delicious best.