The Antique Anatomy Tarot Kit: Deck and Guidebook for the Modern Reader

There is simply no denying that is deck is, at once, uniquely original and darkly beautiful. The artist, Claire Goodchild, combined artwork from Victorian medical texts and botanical journals to bring her vision to life and I, for one, am so glad that she did. This set comes in a sturdy box and with a comprehensive, color guidebook that includes information, a little tarot history, and spreads as well descriptions for each card. One of my favorite things about the decks are the minute attention to little details: the Pages are all skulls of young children; the Elixirs (Cups) court cards have numbered elixir bottles that actually correspond to the card's number; same with the Ace of Elixirs; and I wouldn't be surprised one bit if the skulls for the Kings & Queens were - in the original texts - identified as male & female, respectively. Such little details are appreciated, and I'm sure there will be more to find as I use the deck. An issue that everyone raises is the card stock. Yes, it's thin. Yes, it has a "flimsy" feel to it. While I do wish it was on a thicker stock I still am not going to complain about this. It seems as if it will hold up, and it has so far in the couple weeks I've been using it. For me, the deck and its artwork make up for it. I just don't see this as a deal breaker and it, if it is for you, all really depends on how flexible you are with your decks' card stock. Personally, this is workable - as long as it continues to hold up - because the cards are too lovely not to use otherwise. All-in-all, I highly recommend this deck. Especially if you have a predilection for darker, unique, or macabre things - it is delightfully all of those while still remaining very elegant and beautiful. If card stock is a deal breaker you might have an issue but, otherwise, I can't see anyone not falling in love with this deck.

This deck exceeded my expectations. It was a curiosity purchase, I didn’t know how I would like my readings, but I was intrigued with the artistic idea. Much to my delight- I love them! I connected to these cards right away. Love the way they shuffle and feel in my hands. They also have a scent to them that reminds me of antique rubbing oil. The guidebook is one of the best I have received. It talks about the elements and numerology and how it ties in with the cards. Very informative and very well put together. I can’t think of any cons on this deck. They’re lovely.

A very beautifuly designed deck. I had been reading Tarot for almost 40 years. This deck is complete jewel. The book is very well written with the essential information for beginner and also for someone like me, with experience. The book contains information about the deck, images, how it was made. Contains a brief history of Tarot. Numerology, that gives structure to any deck is very well explained. Astrological associations are an excellent addition. Also the Mayor Arcana card companions that give so much information for birth and soul card readings based on your. birthday. I own a collection of more than 200 decks, I think this deck is an important addition. Can't wait to use it!

This is a beautiful deck in a beautiful box with a beautiful book. The illustrations are bright and dynamic, and the guidebook has some of the most insightful general tarot tips and references I've seen; colors, numbers, and relationships between the Major Arcana come into play within the deck itself, so these are outlined in vivid detail and description in order to teach you how to handle all future readings. The individual cards are two per page, with easy-to-digest descriptions for each. It also includes additional card information for the Major Arcana, such as their ruling planet and element. The cardstock issue that was present in the first print has been fixed. This is NOT a thick cardstock, but it's not meant to be a heavy-handed deck! It's about the thickness of a regular playing cards, but the paper quality is better and more matte. It shuffles well once handled a bit to remove the factory newness, just be gentle! Quiet hands, quiet minds.

This is easily my favorite tarot deck I own. The illustrations are gorgeous and the guide book is amazing. I couldnt ask for a better deck .

Okay, a lot of other people have already mentioned the cardstock. I'll bring that up, but I'm also going to focus on all the *good* parts of this set. Packaging: 5/5 The packaging is absolutely gorgeous. It comes in a hard box that opens up--connected on one side, but it's not one of those magnetic lift boxes, if you know what I'm talking about. There are some gold details in the lettering that add a bit of extra-specialness to the overall box. Inside there are two decorated cardboard inserts that keep the cards in place. They seem to be glued into place as well, which is a disappointment for me since I often throw those away, keep the cards in a tarot bag, and re-use the box for something else. Still, this packaging is pretty enough that I'll probably keep everything together. Book: 5/5 Okay, I haven't actually had much time to go through the book and dig into the details, but at first glance it seems solid. It has your basic overview/history of tarot, but also includes references for: numerology, astrology, elements, and colors. As well as some basic 'caring for your tarot' information, and a selection of spreads. The card meanings are broken down by major and minors. The majors get 2 cards/page, with full-color pictures of them opposite. The minors get 2 cards/page, with full-color pictures of each card on top of their entry. The book itself is beautiful, and I'm looking forward to digging through it a bit more. Hopefully, it has some depth to go with the aesthetics. Artwork: 5/5 I think this one is obvious. The artwork is gorgeous. Cardstock: 0-1/5 The only real disappointment for this set. Others have pointed it out already, but the cardstock is abysmal. I'm not even sure I could call it cardstock--it feels like slightly-thicker-than-computer-paper. Shuffling was worrisome (though I did manage it. I shuffle over-hand for the most part.) It's just sooooo thin, I can't see these cards holding up at all. Which is a huge disappointment considering how much attention to detail and quality went into the rest of the package! I'd gladly take a smaller/less fancy box for some decent cardstock. Overall: This is a gorgeous set. Gorgeous packaging. Gorgeous artwork. Dragged down by terrible cardstock. Is it useable? If you're careful. Like super careful. This isn't a deck you could take out with you or read in public with--the cards won't hold up. If you don't read often, or if you'd like the artwork more for journaling or studying rather than heavy use, then I don't think you'll have too many problems so long as you treat it gently. But yeah, the cardstock is abysmal.

I never leave reviews, but I wanted to write one in a hopes people scared away by the card stock come back and give this beautiful deck a chance. I found a picture of this deck online 6 months ago, the artwork was so stunning I was excited to pre-order and have been impatiently waiting the arrival all that time. I was out of town when mine was delivered and when I got the delivery notice I quickly jumped online to see what people were saying, wanting to live vicariously through others until I got home to experience it for myself. The first post I noticed was the artist herself saying "I know you guys don't like the card stock, but trust me... it shuffles like a dream". This was followed by review after review about how flimsy the cards felt and how disappointed people were. I was crushed. I went into opening my package as a skeptic, already turned off by the reviews. I didn't even look at the book, my fingers finding the cards and feeling exactly what others said... they are thin, flimsy, and seemingly cheap. Still interested in the designs I opened them out, and looked through the deck. It is BEAUTIFUL!!! In an effort to not give up hope I did exactly as the artist suggested, even though I was scared I'd damage or destroy the cards, I shuffled. And guess what... they shuffled like a dream. The more I worked with them the more I realized they were just like many of the playing cards I've had for years. They feel as comfortable in my hands right out of the box as my cards that I've been breaking in for years. I can't say whether they will last. I can't say whether they will bend or be destroyed. All I can say is I'm a huge fan again after playing with them and almost don't notice the weight of the card stock. As a person that can't always afford $60 tarot cards I'm grateful this beautiful art was made in a way I could purchase it, and so far (after playing with it) it seems far from cheap.

Just to give a bit of a background of where I am coming from-I am a tarot reader with 10 yrs experience and over 100 decks. The card stock IS thin, think Shadowscapes or Linestrider level of thin, however it does hold up well with overhand shuffling. I don't riffle shuffle my cards, since no matter the stock you run the risk of bending them, but if you riffle shuffle or are otherwise a rough card shuffler, this may not be the deck for you. The deck features non-traditional art and non-scenic pips (Minors). The meanings of the deck follow traditional RWS meanings. The guidebook is in-between a companion book and a LWB. It does feature the numerological and astrological correspondences for the cards in addition to the elements and traditional meanings. It gives a brief Tarot 101 lesson in the first couple of pages and features some spreads to try and ways to use and care for the deck. The guidebook does NOT feature any reversal meanings. The box it comes with is a sturdy box that you can store the cards and book in when not in use. The packaging has decorations throughout the box without any plain sides. All in all I do think this deck is beautiful; the thin card stock concerned me at first but after extensively shuffling it after purchase, it seems to be holding up all right. If you're a more analytical reader who sticks to assigned meanings for the most part, you will most likely have little issue reading with the deck. If you're a more intuitive reader, it may be a little more difficult to learn the deck as a beginner as the imagery is fairly minimal.

Valgono il prezzo che costano, non c'è dubbio. Si tratta di un mazzo davvero ben curato, con disegni molto belli, una stampa precisa e una consistenza delle carte degna di nota. Insomma consigliatissime se vi piace il genere. P.s.: Venditore affidabile e consegnato nei tempi previsti.

Wysyłka trwała prawie miesiąc, opakowanie zostało uszkodzone do tego naliczone cło bo sprzedawca prawdopodobnie z Wielkiej Brytanii... Gdybym wiedziała to bym nie zamawiała.

I believe that manufacturers will want to continuously improve the quality of their products. This deck is beautifully drawn, yet the supplier / supply chain process must have been skipped in product consideration. Cheap deck is highly accessible to customers but in tarot cards where shuffling is the main activity, the card stock is important. The paper feels like cheap quality thing cards, the vintage fades were printed onto the cards, like you can't decide if you want to offer a brand new product or allow users to season decks.

予約注文の時、どんなカードかわからず購入を見送ってしまい、その後売り切れでとても後悔したカードです。 海賊版が出てたり、ネットで高額で売られてたりという現状なので、こちらを見つけた時「このお値段で正規品は買えたかなあ？」と中々購入に踏み切れませんでした。QRコードは箱にないですし、カードの大きさも１２×７cm、ガイドブックも付いているので、こちらは正規品であると信じています。 他の方のレビューで、カードが折れ曲がっているとありましたので、届くまで不安でしたが、折れているカードは無かったのでホッとしました。 箱やガイドブックは立派ですが、カードはレビュー通りとても薄く、カードをテーブルなどに置いてめくるのはやりにくいです。ただ、カードが薄くて反っているのでそこに爪をひっかければ問題なくめくれました。防水加工もされていないようで耐久性は無さそうです。 カードのデザインはパッと見た時何のカードかすぐには分からないので占いに使う時は慣れる必要があると思います。 購入できて満足ですが、カードが薄くて耐久性がないので星４にしました。

Me pareció un mazo excelente, el diseño inspira bastante y el material es de lo mejor, me encanta la caja y el tamaño pues es más grande que la mayoría de los mazos que he adquirido, el manual viene con fotografías excelentes, el reverso de las cartas también es bonito, creo que vale mucho la pena.