Druidcraft Tarot | Rebox

Published by Alison Cross on

Just before Christmas I was provided with a review deck of the newly reboxed Druidcraft Tarot.

Druidcraft Tarot | all versions | Tarot Thrones
new box, brighter coloured book cover

Even a casual perusal of back posts from me will show that the Druidcraft is one of my absolute favourites and I fondly recall buying my first copy from a little incense-infused shop in Glastonbury when I met up with some tarot friends from TABI waaaaaaaaay back in the mists of time – 2004!


That initial purchase netted me my very first deck with artwork by Will Worthington and the full-sized accompanying book (by Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm of OBOD).

I have used it religiously (metaphorically and literally!) since I got it and when the interest for borderless decks arose a few years ago, I decided to buy myself a second copy of the deck and trim it down.Β  My friend Louise, at Priestess Tarot, kindly trimmed the cards for me and sent them back (thanks Lou!).

While deck creators reel back in horror at the thought of their carefully designed decks being hacked about by their owners, a trimmed deck IS much easier to handle and, depending on the deck, can create a very strong and immediate connection with the artwork.Β  Although, if you are considering this – consider whether you want card titles on or off before you start!

This second incarnation came in a much smaller box, about the size of the deck itself and, more importantly, the accompanying book had shrunk to accommodate the new reduced box.

Now in its third version, this latest version of the Druidcraft restores the cards to a full-sized box where the cards and book are accessed from a side drawer (with a ribbon loop to help you pull out the drawer).

The beauty of this is that you can keep the box on your shelf and still remove the cards!

The main thing to note about this rebox is the restoration of the Druidcraft’s excellent accompanying book to its original size.

While I can see a difference in the colour of the book’s cover from my original copy, I need to point out that my book has been out on my desk and used and abused on a daily basis since 2004 and may have faded a little.

The cards are exactly the same as they were before and the content of the book is exactly the same as it was in the original imprint (ie illustrations are monotone, not full colour).

Who is this aimed at? Well, if you have never owned a copy of the Druidcraft this is THE perfect time to get your paws on one as this sturdy box is absolutely one that you would want on your shelves or desk top.

And, of course, if you are a collector of all things Worthington, you will want to get this version to keep things perfect.

The ISBN of this version of the deck is:Β  978-1-85906421-4
The ISBN of the V2, small box version, is 978- 1-85906273-9

I don’t have the ISBN for the original box version, I was too stupid to keep the box for that, I’m afraid!Β  EditΒ  (3/9/19) thanks to Nancy, I DO have the ISBN of the original deck for you: ISBN 978-0312315023 – thank you Nancy!)

What do you think of this reboot?


Alison Cross

The Tarot's Court Cards are my specialist area.Β  They talk to me. Not LITERALLY though ....

9 Comments

Nancy Tunis · 3rd September 2019 at 12:39 pm

The ISBN# For the first edition book and cards ( first St Martin’s Edition 2004) is ISBN #9780312315023 The inside book has the Magocian on the cover.

    Alison Cross · 3rd September 2019 at 12:59 pm

    That’s brilliant – I’ll add that in, Nancy – thank you! <3

Linda Marson · 15th February 2018 at 6:16 am

I absolutely LOVE this deck. Great to see the book and deck available as a package again.

Martha · 16th January 2018 at 5:39 pm

Thank you very much… ordering now!

Martha · 16th January 2018 at 4:00 pm

Hi, thank you for the interesting review. I wonder if you could tell us the ISBN for the new version — to make it easier to order online?

    Alison Cross · 16th January 2018 at 4:25 pm

    Martha – very good point. It DOES have a different ISBN to the small box version (V2) and I've gone back in and edited the document to show both. Thank you for that!

Bonnie Cehovet · 16th January 2018 at 1:10 pm

Nice write up! πŸ™‚ I have never gone along with the fad of trimming off borders. I prefer my decks bordrless, for the reason that you stated, but I am not going to "edit" how the author/artist wanted their work to look. Tend to think I am the rogue Tarotist here, and not those who actually do the trimming! πŸ˜‰

    Etto Liram · 30th January 2018 at 10:13 pm

    Bonnie, usually the borders are decided on by the publishers (it's easier to print a deck with borders), rather than the artists; quite often, the artist is unpleasantly surprised by them!

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