Thoth

Aleister Crowley Thoth Tarot
Aleister Crowley & Lady Frieda Harris (OTO International, 1944)

Review
People have dedicated their entirel lives to studying this deck. and I can see why, but it's still intimidating when I come to review it.

I make no bones about this: I love this deck with my whole heart. Sure, I've only got the mini-version, but that means I have the reprint that actually just justice to Lady Harris' remarkable paintings. The Tower, for example, looks as though Picasso dabbled in the tarot before finishing Guernica.

Standout cards...oh gods, I could be here all day. The Knights of Swords has a splendidly helicopter-like aspect, which at that time would have been brand new and exciting technology. The Eight of Cups, which looks like the perfect visual representation of a hangover ever? The intelligently phallic Devil? Sure, the Minors could be argued to be pips, but my gods, what rich, beautiful and expressive pips they are.

This legendary deck needs to be in every collectors list. Sure, you may disagree with the keywords or with Crowley in general, but there's no other deck like the Thoth, and everyone's eyes deserve a reward.