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 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.

first of all, this was my first intentional pip deck purchase, and i am far from disappointed. the minor arcana cards are still beautiful, and i thought i could never get on with just pips! the anatomical drawings blended with colorful floral illustrations is such a beautiful style.secondly, i understand the deck was reprinted on new cardstock fairly recently, and it is satisfactory in my opinion. shuffles great any way you like, snaps back nicely, though my copy has a teensy little bow, barely noticable.the guidebook really surprised me! there is a section on numerology, astrological, and color associations. no reversed meanings, but understandable for a pip deck. full color images of every card and has a couple of spreads.now for my "gripes". none of these are really relevant, im just nitpicking tiny details because everything else about the deck rocks!you might be able to see in my image that the backs of the cards are not all a uniform shade/tone of brown. its not enough to bother me while shuffling or reading, but just enough to notice. (this goes the same for the card faces, a select few seem to have a more saturated background color).there's also one page in the guidebook, (page 12, elements and the tarot) that has a textured paper effect like some big chapter title pages. not sure if this was intentional, as the page is in the middle of a section, but i thought i would include it anyway. again, teeny tiny details that dont matter! but that i noticed.great deck, great packaging, beautiful idea. love it! 5 stars