The Zerner-Farber Tarot
Deck by artist Amy Zerner & writer
Monte Farber
© 1997 U.S. Games Systems Inc.
Visit Monte and Amy at The
Enchanted World
Visit
Monte and Amy, the creators of this deck, at: The
Enchanted World
The side of the card box describes the
uniqueness of the Zerner-Farber Tarot nicely: "Each
card is a uniquely beautiful fabric collage tapestry
made from antique and contemporary textiles, laces,
trimmings, ribbons and found objects -- a magical fairy
tale world of dreams and fantasy that makes every tarot
reading a work of art." Amy Zerner calls her
designs "landscapes of the soul." Obviously, a
tremendous amount of work and love went into the creation
of this beautiful Tarot deck!
Author Monte Farber and artist Amy Zerner (often referred to as the "Enchanted Couple) have also created a number of other enchanted decks and oracles, including the Enchanted Tarot, True Love Tarot, Karma Cards, Cupid Cards, and the Enchanted Astrologer. I'm sure there will be more to come as well!
Although
I don't have the Enchanted Tarot, it is my understanding
that it is basically the same as the Zerner-Farber Tarot,
except that it has borders around the cards and is
larger. The coloring is said to be brighter and more
crisp in the Zerner-Farber edition.
Since I already have the Zerner-Farber with all of these lovely tapestry art creations in my hands, I felt no need to have what would be almost a duplicate. So if you have one but not the other, you essentially have both of these decks in one. If you don't have one yet, however, it seems the Zerner-Farber is the favored one among the two decks. But definitely also check out the True Love Tarot by this enchanted couple as well!
The Zerner-Farber Tarot cards have no borders, allowing more of the tapestry and collage artistry to be displayed on each card. In most cases, I really like a borderless card, and it works really nicely for this particular deck. The number of each card is presented in a diamond shape beside a colored banner at the bottom of the card which also shows the name of the card.
Suits of this deck are Wands, Hearts (Cups), Swords, and Pentacles. The court cards are King, Queen, Prince (Knight), Princess (Page). The Major Arcana cards retain their traditional names in this deck.
The backs of the cards are purple with a double white border surrounding the sides and a diamond shape in each corner. In the center of the card is a reversible monogram (a fancy scripted ZF) of the artist's and author's initials.
The cards are small in size, measuring 2-1/4" x 3-7/8," which makes this a nice deck to take along on a trip or vacation. They are small enough to easily tuck into a purse or a bag. The cards have a matte finish, and the small size of the cards makes the shuffling process a breeze.
The Zerner-Farber Tarot has a feminine feel to it, and I can imagine it is most favored by women, but it's certainly a deck that is open to all users, male or female. Those who use a Rider-Waite-Smith version of the Tarot can easily adapt to this lovely deck.
You can purchase this deck by itself, or you can get it with the "Instant Tarot Reader" as a deck/book set. I have the Instant Tarot Reader, and it can be a helpful guide -- perhaps more for the new reader or the reader with limited experience in doing card readings with the Celtic Cross Spread. I didn't realize at the time of purchase for the "Instant Tarot Reader" that you get a Zerner-Farber Tarot deck with it. So I ended up with two Zerner-Farber decks.
The "Instant Tarot Reader" was also published in 1997, as was the Zerner-Farber Tarot deck. The 342-page hardback book provides instructions for how to use the book with the cards in performing a Celtic Cross Reading layout. Each card of the Tarot is fully explained (for its upright meaning) in how it applies for every position of the Celtic Cross layout. That is a lot of information, and naturally, you have a large book to cover it. But again, you can purchase the cards separately, or if you want the book, you can purchase the cards as a book/deck set.
Deck Details - The Zerner-Farber Tarot
Number of Cards in Deck:
78Size of Cards: 2-1/4" x 3-7/8"
Included with deck: A 54-page instruction booklet -- Can also be purchased as a deck/book set with the "Instant Tarot Reader"
Major Arcana: Fool, Magician, High Priestess, Empress,
Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot,
Strength, Hermit, Wheel of
Fortune, Justice, Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, Devil,
Tower, Star,
Moon, Sun, Judgment, World
Suit Names: Wands, Hearts (Cups), Swords, Pentacles
Court Cards: King, Queen, Prince (Knight), Princess (Page)
Back Design of Cards:
