Morgan-Greer
Rider-Waite improvement with entirely new art direction by Bill Greer and Lloyd Morgan.
by Bill Greer, Lloyd Morgan · 1979
Find a copy →We link out and never sell decks. Buying through links may earn us a small commission.
The record
The Morgan-Greer Tarot is based on the classic Rider-Waite deck drawn by Pamela Coleman Smith. The Rider-Waite is so ineptly drawn that it has inspired numerous attempts at improvement, often simply by use of different colors than Smith's original. Greer's tarot deck starts off with entirely new drawings painted in exceptionally rich color. With no borders, the card images run the full length of the cards. Rather than paint full scenes as did Smith, Greer chooses to paint from a closer perspective, so figures are often head/shoulders or three quarters in length; this allows for more detail in the painting of each character portrayed in the cards. The symbolism follows Rider-Waite closely, with only a few departures: the nine of swords, traditionally the nightmare card in Rider-Waite, now shows symbols of bound hands, which to me changes the meaning of the card. Many of the people shown in the cards are androgynous, this is especially evident with the Pages, they can represent a girl or boy equally well, without offending either. This sexual ambiguity is well suited to a deck that will appeal to men and women alike. I have a "pet peeve" card in each tarot deck I purchase, and in the
The cards
