The Minchiate Tarot: The 97-Card Tarot of the Renaissance, Complete with the 12 Astrological Signs and the 4 Elements

For the serious collector of tarot comes this elegantly redesigned version of the Minchiate deck originally created in the 1500s. While artist/tarot expert Brian Williams titles his 1999 version "tarot," he is quick to point out that it is more a "sister to" than an actual tarot. To those familiar with the standard Ryder version that most of today's decks seem to be based on, the distinction is most immediately evidenced by the fact there are 97 cards instead of the more familiar 78. Cards 16 through 35 in the Minchiate are "missing" from the standard. They include four virtues (hope, prudence, faith, and charity), four elements (fire, water, air, and earth), and the 12 zodiacal signs. While Williams did design and illustrate this deck himself, it has a Renaissance period feel. He followed the original designs fairly closely so that the same graphic elements and even postures of the figures are maintained. --P. Randall Cohan