The Fantastic Menagerie Tarot has original artwork based on 19th century drawings by French artist, J. J. Grandville. Know as the "Father of Surrealism", Grandville was a huge influence on artists such as Tenniel, the first illustrator of Alice in Wonderland (and also a huge influence on Baba Studio). His pictures are cynical, funny, bitter and sweet - and make for a deck that manages to be both timeless and true.
- 78 fully-illustrated scenic cards based on Rider Waite Smith (RWS) tarot pattern.
- Cards measure - 128 x 78 mm
- Challenging, witty images that invite you to use your imagination and intuition.
- The images are taken from Les Metamorphoses du Jour book which is an original from 1847, with hand-coloured imagery. This helps to give the images their fantastic, detailed quality.
- Painstakingly cold stamped. Baba Studio used subtle cold-stamping throughout the whole image - this makes the cards "flash" with metallic colours when the light hits them.
- Printed in Europe on high-quality German-made 330 gram playing card stock with a carbon inner layer to protect against bending and creasing.
- Lightly varnished for durability without a plastic feeling - the finish is fairly matte.
- Sturdy hinged box for long-term storage. This is also cold-stamped.
- Booklet with meanings and guide for use.
Also included with this deck is - The Fantastic Menagerie Tarot Companion Book - New Edition.
This is a comprehensive guide to the deck, including keywords and full card meanings. Re-written by Karen Mahoney, and retaining the original stories by Sophie Nussle, the book also explains the background to Granville's work.
- Good quality paperback (printed in Ireland) with coloured card images.
- Re-written by one of the creators of the deck, Karen Mahony.
- New sections for each card discussing how the image was chosen and constructed.
- Sections about the history of tarot, and about Grandville's life, as well as the original stories for each card written by Sophie Nussle.
- Includes keywords and descriptions for each card.
- With general introduction and a discussion about significant aspects of the deck.
- Includes sections on reading approaches and samples spreads including special "Fantastic Menagerie" spreads.
- Extensive and highly illustrated full companion book.
Fantastic Menagerie Tarot - 78 fully-illustrated cards - standard deck, second edition with cold stamping with The Fantastic Menagerie Tarot Companion book, new edition.
