5 Different Versions of the RWS Tarot Compared
Introduction
So many people say that if you want to learn tarot you should start with, or at least have, a version of the original RWS deck. And, for many reasons, I am one of them. The most basic reason of all is that, if you learn the RWS tarot, you can develop a solid base of knowledge that allows you to read any RWS-based deck more easily.
Since the RWS tarot is the pictorial language that many creators have translated into their own artistic style, knowing the base language means you can draw additional meanings from your RWS-inspired deck. I find this is a two way process.
If you’ve watched any Tarot Tube, you will notice how often readers will say something like, “In the RWS deck the __(card name)__ looks like __(description of RWS card imagery)__,” which may make you wonder why they didn’t just use an RWS deck. I can’t answer for others, but I can say the reason I tend to use other decks is because different decks speak to me in different ways. The artwork is an integral part of my reading style. Nevertheless, sometimes referring back to the RWS tarot is the easiest way to clarify a card meaning for someone.
Now I have to admit that, even though I suggest starting out with an RWS deck, I didn’t do that myself. My first tarot deck was the Voyager Tarot. Back when I decided I wanted to branch out from oracle cards and learn tarot, there wasn’t the option to jump on the internet and look up tarot blogs. So I just went and bought the deck someone had told me about.
Also, to be honest, when I first looked at an RWS deck I wasn’t too taken with it. However, five versions later, even though I have over 100 tarot decks and counting, I am now a fan. It is definitely a deck I will always return to for study and general use. I’m always learning something new. Recently I began to look more closely at XXI The World card which has raised so many questions and taught me a lot. But, that’s a whole other post.
In this post I am going to show comparison images and share some general information about the cards and the accompanying guide books for the five versions I own:
- The Original Rider Waite Tarot Deck (Rider – Trade)
- The Rider Tarot (US Games Inc)
- Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot (US Games Inc)
- Smith-Waite Tarot Deck Borderless (US Games Inc)
- Radiant Wise Spirit Tarot (Lo Scarabeo)
The Original Rider Waite Tarot Deck
The Original Rider Waite Tarot Deck was the first RWS deck I bought. I love the colouring of this deck. The yellow’s are golden rather than bright with muted greens, warm greys and soft browns as the other predominant colours. My version is trimmed so it will appear slightly smaller than it is. I just wasn’t a fan of the white borders so I removed them. It looks great set out in a spread on my black desk and it is easy to photograph and work with.
An additional card, which provides some preliminary information about the artist Pamela Colman Smith, and a small 30-paged little white book (LWB) are included with this version. It opens with an Introduction written by Stuart R Kaplan then moves straight on to the card meanings.
The LWB doesn’t do this deck beginners any favours because the card meanings are quite different to the ones most beginner books provide. Here are some examples to show you what I mean:
- 0 The Fool
- “Folly, mania, extravagance, intoxication, delirium, frenzy, bewrayment”
- Now I’m pretty sure that none of us have used the word bewrayment recently which highlights what I mean when I say the language isn’t as user friendly as many other guidebooks.
- “Reversed: negligence, absence, distribution, carelessness, apathy, nullity, vanity.”
- “Folly, mania, extravagance, intoxication, delirium, frenzy, bewrayment”
- IX The Hermit
- “Prudence; also and especially treason, dissimulation, roguery, corruption”
- “Reversed: Concealment, disguise, policy, fear, unreasoned caution.”
- This is not how I, and many others see The Hermit.
- XVII The Star
- “Loss, theft, privation, abandonment; another reading says hope and bright prospects.”
- “Reversed: Arrogance, haughtiness, impotence.”
If you read out these meanings and asked general readers which cards they were referring to, I’m not sure on the answers you would receive. Many of the divinatory meanings are confusing in both language and when trying to align them with the card imagery.
I went to the source, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot written by Waite himself, and I found these keywords in “The Greater Arcana and Their Divinatory Meanings” section. In fact, in the more in depth entries he confirms some of the meanings we ascribe to the cards now, and challenges others. However, that is a discussion for another time too.
The Minor Arcana meanings are more in alignment with the general tarot meanings given in other guidebooks. For example:
- 8 of Pentacles
- “Work, employment, commission, craftsmanship, skill in craft and business, a young man in business who has relations with the querent; a dark girl.”
- “Reversed: Voided ambition, vanity, cupidity, exaction, usury. Another reading indicates that the querent will be compromised in a matter of money lending.
This guidebook also includes sections titled, “Recurrence of Cards in Dealing,” (e.g. “4 Kings – Great honour”), and “The Art of Tarot Divination” which begins with appearances linked to the suits, (e.g. Cups represent people with light brown hair and of fair complexion), followed by instructions on how to lay out a version of the Celtic Cross.
The Rider Tarot Deck
The Rider Tarot Deck is tagged as the original and only authorised Rider Waite Tarot and is probably the most familiar of the bunch. Albeit, it’s the last one I bought. Though I wish I had purchased it earlier because the card stock on my version feels like plastic. I’m sure it will hold up well, but I’d prefer the version my daughter has with more typical card stock.
In this deck, sky blue, bright yellow, and grey dominates the colour palette. Two additional cards are included. However, they are purely there to promote the Pamela Colman Smith – The Untold Story book. (They were successful in their aim. My copy is on it’s way.)
Like The Original Rider Waite Tarot Deck, the book opens with an Introduction written by Stuart R Kaplan before going straight into the card meanings. The Major Arcana meanings listed are the same as in The Original but for the Minor Arcana there’s a brief description of the card followed by the card meanings. The meanings are a fairly close rendering to those found in The Original. This LWB includes an illustration of the Celtic Cross layout not present in The Original but it doesn’t have the multiple card breakdown.
The Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot
The Radiant Ride-Waite Tarot was my second RWS deck. It is vibrantly recoloured with the finer line work seen in The Rider Tarot Deck but with shaded artwork that is less jarring than The Rider’s bright colouring. There is more colour variation among the blues, the yellows are more golden, and purple has been introduced as a background colour on a couple of cards. The brown background present on many of The Original, and the grey of The Rider have been replaced by various blues and purples with white on V The Hierophant.
Apart from a slight revision to the Introduction by Stuart R Kaplan, it is the same book as The Rider Tarot Deck but with a larger font.
The Smith-Waite Tarot Deck Borderless
The Smith-Waite Tarot Deck Borderless Edition is the same as the Centenary Edition but, as the name suggests, without the borders. It is nice to see that Pamela Colman Smith finally got a mention. Although, it is not unusual for the focus to be on the deck’s creator rather than the artist. This version is a cross between the Original and the Rider but with better skin tone.
Five additional cards are included with this deck. There are four of Pamela Colman Smith’s non-tarot artwork plus a card providing details of each. This is a nice addition. It may sound strange but these additional cards made me see the original versions of the RWS decks in a new way.
The guidebook has a similar introduction to the other US Games versions followed by the same card meanings. The font is smaller than on the Radiant version and has less white space on the page.
Radiant Wise Spirit Tarot
The Radiant Wise Tarot is another borderless deck. In order to make it borderless they have expanded the original image which has meant that some of the artwork has been cropped out. Further down you will see a comparison between the two borderless decks and you will see what I mean on the 8 of Swords. Another comparison you will see is The Magician. Here you will see the alternative. Rather than zooming in, the Smith-Waite adds some extra background which on some cards doesn’t quite work. Really though, as with all these decks, it’s a matter of preference.
In this deck the colouring is more akin with the Radiant version but with more muted tones. I really like the colouring of this deck but I find it has some inconsistent line work. Mostly the lines are heavier but then suddenly the odd card has much finer outlines similar to The Rider.
Where this deck wins hands down is with the guidebook and the packaging. All the other versions I have come in tuckboxes whereas the Radiant Wise comes in a solid 2-part box. The perfect-bound book is multi-lingual, (English, Italian, Spanish, French and Portuguese), as is the norm with Lo Scarabeo books, and written in beginner-friendly language. It also offers more information in general.
Following the Introduction is a How to Read Tarot section. This is broken down into several sections: Storytelling; Fate/Fortune/Destiny vs Hindsight/Insight/Foresight; Questions; Shuffling; Card Meanings; Reversals; Tarot Structure; and Three Spreads.
An example of a card meaning entry in this book is:
- 0 The Fool
- The Fool walks joyously into the unknown as bright sunshine falls upon him. His bag carries past experiences, his dog reflects animal instincts and the ground before him continues to regenerate as he walks forward. New cycle of life. Stepping off into a new adventure. Optimism and originality. Breaking the norm. Outside the box. Daring. Free spirit. Reversed: Hesitation when given an opportunity. No trust. Preoccupied and worried about what others think.
In this guidebook they suggest that Waite “coded the true meaning of his tarot under thick and confusing language for his accompanying book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot” because of an oath of secrecy. I look forward to doing much more research around all of this.
Side by Side Comparisons
Firstly, below illustrates the difference between the borderless editions. As you can see the Smith-Waite Tarot on the right hand side adds in a little extra background to fill in the area previously left for the borders. That looks fine on the 8 of Swords but on The Magician it looks a little strange. However, in zooming in on the image the Radiant Wise crops out certain elements. So, in the 8 of Swords parts of the sword are cut off. On the two Radiant Wise cards below you can see the variation in thickness of the line work, albeit minor in this example. Really, as far as the artwork goes it all comes down to personal choice.
Below I’ve included some further side-by-side comparisons so you can see which colour palette and line work appeals to you the most. I’ve included the High Priestess and the King of Pentacles. In order they are:
- The Original Rider Waite Tarot Deck (Rider – Trade)
- The Rider Tarot (US Games Inc)
- Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot (US Games Inc)
- Smith-Waite Tarot Deck Borderless (US Games Inc)
- Radiant Wise Spirit Tarot (Lo Scarabeo)
Personally, I always like to see what the cards look like in a spread so I thought I would wrap up this section by showing how each deck looks in a Celtic Cross formation.
Publishing Details for each of the 5 RWS Tarot Decks Covered
Obviously I own all five versions of these RWS decks and for different reasons I like them all. I was trying to decide which is my favourite and to be honest I couldn’t say. I reach for them all. The colouring of the Radiant Wise and the Radiant Rider-Waite give them a more modern feel and I like that. But, I like the Original and the Smith-Waite Tarot because they feel more traditional.
My aim in this post though isn’t to write a review, or to share my personal insights. It is to show the main mass market versions of the RWS Tarot to help you to decide which one may be for you.
So I’ll quickly wrap up with the publishing details and leave you to go and flick back through the images. I really hope you find a version of the RWS Tarot that you connect with and that you enjoy unravelling and working with it as much as so many of us do.
The Original Rider Waite Tarot Deck
Pictured version:
- Publisher : RIDER – TRADE; 1st edition (23 July 1999)
- Language : English
- Book : 30 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0712670572
- ISBN-13 : 978-0712670579
- Card size : 7x 12 cm
The Rider Tarot Deck
Pictured Version:
- Publisher : US Games Systems Inc.; 1/30/03 edition (1 January 2000)
- Language : English
- Book : 34 pages
- ISBN-10 : 091386613X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0913866139
- Card size : 7 x 12 cm
Radiant Rider-Waite Tarot
Pictured Version:
- Publisher : U.S. Games Systems Inc; New edition (September 24, 2003)
- Language : English
- Book: 44 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1572814136
- ISBN-13 : 978-1572814134
- Card Size : 7 x 12cm
Smith-Waite Tarot Deck – Borderless Edition
Note: This is the borderless edition of the Smith-Waite Tarot Deck Centennial Edition
Pictured Version:
- Publisher : U.S. Games Systems, Inc.; Tcr Crds edition (August 11, 2017)
- Language : English
- Book : 34 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1572818832
- ISBN-13 : 978-1572818835
- Card size : 7.25 x 12cm
Radiant Wise Spirit Tarot
Pictured Version:
- Publisher : Lo Scarabeo March 2021
- Language : English, Italian, Spanish, French, Portuguese
- Book : total 128 pages, (English 67 pages)
- ISBN-10 : 0738762369
- ISBN-13 : 978-0738762364
- Card size : 7 x 12cm
