The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck and the Public Domain

[icymist]

The Rider-Waite tarot deck, also known as the Rider-Waite-Smith deck to honor illustrator Pamela Colman Smith, is cited by many as the most popular tarot deck in the English-speaking world. Most of the popular tarot decks around today reference, or pay homage to, its designs and structure. The deck has been a perennial money maker for U.S. Games, who publish the Rider-Waite deck and several variations of it (Universal Waite, Radiant Rider-Waite, etc). Now, starting in 2013, all works by scholar and mystic Arthur Edward Waite are supposed to be entering the public domain, but it’s very likely the Rider-Waite tarot he co-created will remain on hazy copyright grounds for another decade.

http://wildhunt.org/2012/12/the-rider-waite-tarot-deck-and-the-public-domain.html

[libodem]

1. I use the Mother Peace Tarrot

The cards are round. The book shares a lot of prehistoric information on women's early contributions to civilization.