The Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot Deck [Cards]

Alex Ukolov (Author), Karen Mahony (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cards & Booklet | Publication Date: November 2004

Each card in this fully-illustrated 78-card deck is a fantastically realistic image of a fairytale feline world where Baroque cats link and sashay through gardens, palaces, inns and theatres. All sorts of incidents take place, and each card seems to carry a whole story within it.

The lively and engaging companion book discusses the backgrounds and meanings of each image, with simple instructions on how to read the deck - reading with "reversals" is included, and as well as popular spreads, a challenging new spread "The Cat's Tale" is described. There is also a charming and enlightening section on the cats' interpretations of the cards.

This may be the most "readable" cat tarot ever. It is certainly one of the most lavishly and lovingly illustrated. A must for anyone who loves costumes, castles or cats - not to mention tarot!

Note: Deck is also available separately, packaged with informative booklet.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A perfect introductory deck for the cat-lover who thought Tarot was a bit too stuffy and uninteresting. (Five Star rating). -- Solandia, Aeclectic Tarot

It's one of those luxuries you will regret not indulging in forever if you care anything for felines or tarot. -- Diane Wilkes, Tarot Passages Diane Wilkes, Tarot Passages Diane Wilkes, Tarot Passages Diane Wilkes, Tarot Passages Diane Wilkes, Tarot Passages.

This is one of the finest decks featuring cats that I have come across, one that I will treasure. -- Bonnie Cehovet, The Crystal Gate

Tt's one of those luxuries you will regret not indulging in forever if you care anything for felines or tarot. -- Diane Wilkes, Tarot Passages

From the Author

More than 4000 hours of work went into this deck and book - and we loved every minute of the work! The stories of the Baroque Bohemian Cats are pure fantasy - but in a strange way we want them to be believable too - a journey into a world in which Cats rule over their own spectacular and dreamlike Catdom.

The images are not always sweet - some are odd, dramatic or poignant - so that they really do make up a whole richly layered world with its ups and downs, sadness and fun.

We hope there are many, many tales in this deck - and that it will give insight as well as pure enjoyment.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Cards: 78 pages
• Publisher: Magic Realist Press (November 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0954500733
• ISBN-13: 978-0954500733
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 3.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,047,034 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Karen Mahony was born in Belfast, N. Ireland, but moved to the UK when she was seventeen. Since then she's lived in Canterbury, London, Woodbridge in Suffolk and, since 2001, in Prague, Czech Republic. She runs Baba Studio and The Magic Realist Press with her partner Alex Ukolov from a studio in the centre of the old city.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soft paws and gentle claws, December 9, 2004

By 

ambermoon - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot Deck (Cards)

Themed tarot decks must show a delicate balance between creativity and integrity to one of the foundational decks of tarot. The Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot achieves this lofty goal in a superb and charming way. The familiar traditions of the Rider Waite Smith tarot are enhanced rather than obscured by Karen Mahoney and Alex Ukolov's creativity.

I always 'ask' a tarot deck about what it will tell me, how I should approach it, and how well we will get on, using a simple three card spread. This deck promised me tales (tails?) of intrigue and Baroque fantasy, a dream world where true vision is reflected in the round green eyes of a cat.

One bit of advice--buy the boxed set. The book that accompanies the deck adds so much pleasure to owning the deck. Read the cats' biographies, and enjoy the cats' perspective on tarot.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Reading Deck, May 31, 2006

By 

Janet Boyer "Author, Blogger, Radio Host" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot Deck (Cards)

"There seems to be some definite, if indefinable, link between cats and tarot...Could it be that people who are attracted to animals as enigmatic, untamable and yet at the same time as warmly emotional as cats also find some of these same qualities in the tarot?" - From the companion book

Karen Mahony and Alex Ukolov, the creative geniuses who run baba studio and Magic Realist Press in Prague, meld lavish costumes, posed cats, stunning Bohemian scenery, and quirky art and architecture in the Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot. While many "cat decks" are mostly art decks, this gorgeous Tarot is a bona fide reading deck based on the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition.

Sumptuous fabrics and lovely detailing grace the costumes created by Finnish artist Anna Hakkarainen, while many of the "models" used in the Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot were from the Prague Cats Rescue Home. Russian Blues, Tabbies, Persians, Siamese, Orientals, British Shorthairs, mixed breeds--all manner of hue and personality infuse these cards.

From the singing Abyssinian on the 3 of Pentacles to the wide-eyed kitten on the Sun card (which was coaxed to stand up on a horse with a teaspoon of cream!), the almost-human expressions surprise and delight. The fierceness of the Siberian on the Knight of Swords crackles with energy, and the sweet innocence of the 6 of Cups elicits an "awww!" for both its cuteness and the way it captures the essence of this card. The 9 of Cups is a hilarious card, with a British shorthair licking his lips in snarky Puss in Boots fashion. Ms. Mahony writes of this card:

"A somewhat portly and obviously very satisfied cat sits on a barrel in the public room of an inn, licking his lips. Behind him, carved in wood, can be a seen a scene of grand merrymaking."

Because some readers prefer Strength and Justice as either Trump 8 or 11, the deck designers have chosen to keep the Majors unnumbered. In addition to the standard RWS attributions and format, Ms. Mahony and Mr. Ukolov have also added a "good luck" card to the Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot: Hermes--which shows a golden statue of the god in a sunny courtyard while a lovely cat clothed in a sage green gown with white ruffles looks on. At first glance, it appears the card backings are fully reversible, but upon closer inspection, you can see the names Ukolov and Mahony on opposing sides. Because the script is so small, however, the backings still work wonderfully for reversals.

The Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot is an excellent reading deck, and especially good as a deck for children or cat lovers. Because this deck follows RWS, it can be used in conjunction with many Tarot books, making it a great beginner's deck, as well. I've had quite a few insights with these cards, which I've jotted down in my Tarot journal. While an artistically exquisite Tarot that belongs in every art deck collection, it's an excellent deck for both reading and meditation. (Note: I highly recommend getting the entire Kit, because Ms. Mahony's prose is exquisite, offering additional insights into both this deck and the Tarot in general).

(To see 10 images from this deck, visit the Reviews--Decks section at JanetBoyer.com)

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome cat tarot cards!, January 28, 2009

By 

Tuffy Mama (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Baroque Bohemian Cats' Tarot Deck (Cards)

These cards are totally cool, a must for cat lovers. Gorgeous, highly-detailed cards with a great variety of cats: tortoiseshells, Persians, Russsian Blues, tabbies, gingers, Maine Coons, Siamese, etc. You can just sit and gaze at them for hours. All this plus a nice little explanatory booklet.