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The Encyclopedia of Tarot, Volume III

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THIS IS VOLUME III IN WHAT I NOW UNDERSTAND TO BE IV VOLUMES ON THE HISTORY OF TAROT BY STUART KAPLAN. ALL ARE EXCELLENT AND WELL RESEARCHED, PHOTOGRAPHED, AND IN GENERAL"VERY WELL DONE".

WHAT MAKES THIS PARTICULAR VOLUME SO SPECIAL, IS THAT IT CONTAINS THE MOST COMPLETE BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION ON PAMELA COLMAN SMITH, THE ILLUSTRATOR OF THE MOST FAMOUS TAROT DECK EVER PUBLISHED, THE RIDER-WAITE TAROT.

MISS SMITH WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO ILLUSTRATE IMAGERY ON ALL OF THE 78 TAROT CARDS. PRIOR TO THIS, IMAGES WERE BASICLY ONLY ON THE MAJOR 22 CARDS OR MAJOR ARCANA. PRACTICALLY ALL THE DECKS SINCE MISS SMITH'S ILLUSTRATION WERE PUBLISHED IN 1909, HAVE BEEN SIMILARLY IF NOT EXACTLY A REPRODUCTION IN SOME WAY OF THE DECK SHE COMPOSED.

PAMELA COLMAN SMITH IS CONSIDERED THE MOST PUBLISHED (REPRODUCED) ARITST IN THE WORLD, BECAUSE OF THE NUMBER OF DECKS THAT HAVE BEEN SOLD SINCE THAT TIME. HER OTHER ARTWORKS ARE IN MUSEUMS AROUND THE WORLD. MOST RECENTLY SHE HAS BEEN IN ART SHOWS THAT COMPRISE THE WOMEN IN THE CIRCLE OF ALFRED STIEGLETZ, WHO HAD ART SHOWS FOR MISS SMITH AT HIS GALLERY IN NEW YORK. HE LATER MARRIED GEORGIA O'KEEFE. PAMELA COLMAN SMITH RETURNED TO ENGLAND AND CONVERTED TO ROMAN CATHOLICISM AFTER HER SOJOURN WITH THE GOLDEN DAWN SOCIETY.

THIS BOOK DONATES A FULL 45 PAGES OF BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION, INCLUDING HER OTHER ARTWORKS, POETRY, AND FULL DETAILS OF HER LIFE UNTIL HER DEATH SEPTEMBER 18, 1951. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR THIS INFORMATION ALONE.