The Astrology Center of America, 207 Victory Lane, Bel Air, MD 21014
Tel: 410-638-7761; Fax:410-638-5154; Toll-free (orders only): 800-475-2272
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The Tarot de Paris deck & book set

by J. Philip Thomas

The Tarot de Paris deck & book set
Price: $29.95

Number of cards in deck: 78

Measurements: 4.5 x 5.65 inches, or 89 x 144 mm. Large.

Back of card: A black field, with a bleached-out rose window taking up 2/3rds of it, with rays shooting from its center. Not a symmetrical card, so not for inversion, though in practice you may not notice. The rose is presumably from Notre Dame & if so, is the south rose.

Book included: Yes, 160 pages, 8.87 x 5.7 inches, or 14.5 x 22.5 cm, hardcover. Written & illustrated by J. Philip Thomas.

Publisher: St. Martin's Press. Printed in China.

Comments: J. Philip Thomas is an adventurer who fell in love with tarot at age 18 in 1970, and with Paris in 1981. (Makes him the same age as myself.) According to the bio in the back of the book, His highest intentions are to draw fresh parallels between the mystical art & architecture of Paris & the intimate influence that it has had on both tarot thought & design in history. The Tarot de Paris project spanned 21 years. Mr. Thomas currently resides in Hawaii.

The book is divided into three sections: The Major Arcana, the Minor Arcana, and, Using the Tarot de Paris. Major arcana get two pages each, the minors, one. Text & illustrations are printed in a pretty shade of blue.

In this deck, the suits are Matter, Water, Fire & Air. Court cards are Spirit, Stallion, Queen & King. The Major Arcana is as follows:

0 The Source
1 Initiation
2 The Veil
3 Nature
4 Order
5 The Awakening
6 Harmony
7 The Chariot
8 Equilibrium
9 The Recluse
10 The Sphinx
11 Presence
12 The Question
13 The Crossing
14 Alchemy
15 Energy
16 The Tower
17 The Star
18 The Moon
19 The Sun
20 The Angel
21 The Universe

In the book, upright cards are called, Exalted. Inverted cards are called, Diminished. In the back of the book, Thomas gives the sources for the images in the book, so far as he himself remembers (he started this project a long time ago). He also gives an extensive bibliography, which is rare in tarot.

The cards themselves are crudely printed, a disappointment. They have no coating. The problem is not the Chinese printers. The problem is with St. Martins for not setting better standards. Printers only print what you tell them to. There are many Chinese-made decks of excellent quality.

I was last in Paris in 1981, well before the Pyramid at the center of the Louvre. I miss the place.

The Astrology Center of America

207 Victory Lane, Bel Air, MD 21014
Tel: 410-638-7761; Fax:410-638-5154; Toll-free (orders only): 800-475-2272

Tarot Home Tarot Decks Tarot Books Join our tarot mailing list Astrology Home E-Mail:

Established 1993, The Astrology Center of America is owned & operated by David Roell. Except where noted, this entire site (AstroAmerica.com) & its contents are Copyright © 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 by William R. Roell. All rights reserved. Tarot card images are Copyright © by the copyright holder (generally the publisher).