Customer Reviews

Tarot (Miniature Editions)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I was disapointed and surprized when i recieved this product. Nowhere in the sescription did i see that the deck was mini. The cards have to be less than an inch in length. I would not have been so disapointed in the product if I had known this before buying it but i was expecting normal sized cards and these that i have bought will not work for the reason i bough them. You would think that someone would have the sence to mention that the cards ar mini!!!

I FOUND THIS BOOK INTERESTING. IT GAVE GOOD DETAIL, AND IS A GOOD START FOR BEGINNERS. THE BOOK IS SMALL ENOUGH TO FIT INTO A POCKET. THAT IS NICE, IT MAKES IT CONVIENT TO CARRY AROUND. HOWEVER, I BOUGHT IT BECAUSE IT CAME WITH CARDS. THE CARD ARE TOO SMALL TO DO ANYTHING WITH. I WOULD BUY THIS BOOK AGAIN IF I WAS LOOKING FOR A CONVIENT BOOK ON TAROT, BUT NOT IF I WAS LOOKING FOR PRACTICAL TAROT CARDS THAT I CAN READ.

The previous reviewer who got usable cards must have ordered the KIT by Dennis Fairchild, not THIS product. The 'deck' that comes with this book is nothing but a long strip of folded cardboard, 1" high, with all the card pix printed on it, attached like a tiny party favor to the ribbon that functions as the bookmark. The deck is absolutely of no use, cannot even really see the pix. I really like the book and if it came with REAL cards I would have given it five stars.

If you don't feel compelled to get a traditional, serious, Rider-Waite-ish deck, and you have decent eyesight, this is a charming (and cheap) Tarot deck. A small hardback interpretive booklet dwarfs the little box of cards attached to it by a black ribbon. The cards are exactly the height of a nickel, perfectly reduced versions of the Nova deck. They have sharp graphics, attractive colors, and a homey presentation of the conventional Tarot cards and their meanings. They come printed on one long accordian-folded strip, perforations between each, but I recommend cutting them apart with scissors to avoid the fuzzy paper bumps left by perforations. It's more fun than a chore, because it gives you a chance to examine and bond with each card.

My quibbles, like the deck, are small: 1) Watch out. It's so easy to lose things this size! 2) You can read the numbers, but the names of the suits and major arcana are too small to make out clearly. However, the corners are color coded--blue for cups, green for pentacles, etc--and there's normally a recognizable cup or sword or whatever in the graphic. 3) The booklet's interpretations remind me of cheap newspaper horoscopes and all start sounding the same to me; I think half of them tell you to take a break or reconsider your options or be alert for new opportunities. I prefer Tarot books to tell you the fundamental Idea underlying each card and keep advice to a minimum. E.G I'd say, "Six of swords: the Journey to Avalon. Transition, new horizons, visionquests"; or 4 of Pentacles: the Miser. If upright, frugality, if reversed, Scrooge" rather than "To achieve security and happiness you've got to plan your goals carefully" for the 6 of s. and "Manage your money with firm ethics. Respect those in power but do not accept intimidation" for 4 of p. I personally would not be able figure out the gut meaning of each card, if I had to learn from this book. The pictures themselves will teach you better--which is, in my opinion, the best kind of deck!

I choose my decks for their looks, so let me finish with a visual description. The cards are black background with a whimsical "Mexican folk art" style: 6 of S. is carried aloft by a hot air balloon, for example, and 4 of P. are held by a small pig. 4 of c. is a typical blending of traditional iconography with the deck's sense of humor: a figure is lounging at the base of a tree, contemplating 3 cups with a pensive frown, but the 4th is a shiny red apple dangling enticingly in front of his face--only very close inspection reveals the green worm sticking out! There are several inspired and original adaptations: Judgement as a butterfly holding a key, or the hermit sporting a snail shell on his back, or the 3 of S. as the heart-shaped root of a plant whose leaves being snipped off by the swords. The devil, always a troubling card, is for once neither too hideous to bear looking at nor so censored the meaning's obscured: a tiny dancing red figure sticks out a lizard tongue and has the manic smile of a demonic car salesman. There are plenty of traditional Rider-Waite-inspired cards: the sleeper rising from the bed and hiding her eyes for 9? of s., the man with 10 sticks on his back, the Hanged Man in his usual pose. All are as simple as possible. Few stray too far from the core Rider-Waite ideas, but all pretensions and esoterica have been cheerfully ditched apart from a few tiny zodiac signs. At the moment the publisher, has a photograph of one of the cards on their web site.

I found this book to be pretty helpfull since it was my first time dealing with tarot readings and the instructions on how to conduct a reading were real simple. The tiny deck of tarot cards are actually hard to handle since they are so small but overall I would recommend this book for beginners.

The book was simple and amazing. If you want easy reference that blatantly gives you the meaning of the cards, this is the book for you. However, if you do not already own a set of tarot cards, buy a set because the set given has cards about an inch high. The book is fantastic though and gives a simple explanation of each card and has a simple layout and basic information about tarot. Whether you're a beginner or can't quite remember all the meanings, I highly suggest this book.

i bought this mini book knowing nothing of tarot. it has proved to be an excellent beginner book with lots of fun designs. since the cards are hard to shuffle i would reccomend buying the identical, but larger, deck. i do not however, recomend it for someone looking for advanced material.

the book was so small had to read and the card were even smaller

Cute minature book that would be great for gift giving. The accompanying deck of Tarot Nova cards is not very utilitarian because of it's size, but the book itself contains an excellent introduction for the tarot beginner or the curious. I also found the layouts to be very easy yet effective. The card interpretations are simple to understand and really are useful in conducting readings for the readers themselves or for others. Step by step instructions assure the reader of being able to complete a tarot reading with little confusion or difficulty.

The cards and the book are too small to be of any practical use. As a novelty, it is fine. However, I did not think that was what I was purchasing.