Gregory Scott Tarot Review

The Gregory Scott Tarot is a standard Tarot deck created by Gregory Scott and Davide Corsi. The deck is published by Lo Scarabeo. The cards measure approximately 2.5 by 4.75 inches.

Quality:
This deck is one of Lo Scarabeo’s standard tuckbox decks, and its quality is on par with the publisher’s other recent releases in this format. The cardstock fans nicely as usual, and it isn’t thick and bulky. I think it’s sturdy enough for regular use, though a rough shuffler could still create premature signs of wear. Lo Scarabeo’s tuckboxes are about as nice as any tuckbox you’re going to get – and I appreciate that they are designed to have only one opening end.

Extra Materials (tuckbox booklet):
The multilingual booklet features 22 pages in English. Scott explains his goals with the deck and offers some basic tips for using the cards for both readings and study. After this he provides a key word or phrase for each card, followed by a one or two sentence elaboration. His parsimonious writing touches on a few twists in the traditional imagery and gives readers a starting point for interpretations. Scott conveys the essence of each card in his brief descriptions, and there’s none of that feel-good BS fluff about what a special mystical whatsit you are for buying a mass market deck. Unfortunately, there are some typos and awkward wording that detract from the overall quality and modern approach presented.

Artwork:
Davide Corsi is the illustrator for several Lo Scarabeo decks, such as the Vice Versa Tarot, Ghost Tarot, Tarot of the Elves, and the Vampires Tarot of the Eternal Night. In my personal opinion, this deck is his best work so far. Corsi’s artwork is at its most lifelike, and the scenery and backgrounds are detailed and colorful. His style in this deck has a more painterly quality and there is more personality to the characters than you see in some of his older work (not that I don’t enjoy his older work as well!). I especially appreciate the use of bold outlines with varying weights.

If you are looking for a Tarot with minimal nudity, this deck is a good choice. The Star features a transforming mermaid censored by seashells, there are a few nude cherubs in the Lovers and Magician cards, and topless male figures appear in a few other cards. There’s nothing sexually explicit or graphically violent, so it’s a pretty safe bet for more sensitive users.

Content:
The Gregory Scott Tarot follows the Rider Waite tradition and features detailed, lush illustrations that make it an excellent reading deck. It is not a Rider Waite clone, however, and there are numerous fresh depictions of classic Tarot themes. Many traditional symbols are thoughtfully incorporated into the images, such as the lion and the caduceus in the Two of Cups. Male and female figures are depicted throughout, and I appreciate the balance. In multiple cards the sexes are reversed, such as the 3 of Coins and 7 of Wands featuring female figures. I found these changes to be a natural and seamless boon to the deck.

This Tarot is not overly esoteric. It relies more on the interpretation of the illustrations and basic knowledge of Tarot structure rather than more intricate Tarot systems. For readers who utilize largely visual or narrative methods of interpretation, this deck is an excellent option. The court cards are especially evocative (expect a court card pageant with this deck soon).

My one nitpick with this deck is that a few of the illustrations are so overt and blatant that it robs them of the ambiguity and flexibility of the card’s overarching themes. For example, the Devil card depicts alcoholism. Instead of the card depicting vices conceptually, the user needs to take the card from the specific (alcoholism) and generalize it (addiction, vices, indulgence, a carefree engagement etc) or draw an analogy for interpretations where alcoholism is irrelevant. This is certainly doable, but I prefer cards that encourage interpretation from the general to the specific instead. Scott notes in the accompanying booklet that accessibility and user-friendliness were important factors for him with creating the deck, and I do think that he is spot on with the balance of traditional themes and meaningful, yet direct, depictions for the majority of the deck. There are just a few cards, like the Devil, that missed the mark for me because they came off a bit too narrow.

Conclusion:
The Gregory Scott Tarot is an excellent reading deck. It features attractive, narrative artwork and a thoughtful, yet simple companion booklet. My one grievance is a personal pet peeve, and I didn’t allow it to weigh heavily on my assessment of the deck, especially since there were only a few guilty cards. Overall, this is a wonderful deck and I was pleased to see something traditional, yet fresh, with a balance among the sexes. If you’re looking for a deck that is modern, colorful, and classy the Gregory Scott Tarot might be exactly what you’re looking for. I highly recommend it!

More like this… Wheel of the Year Tarot, Everyday Witch Tarot

Quality: ****
Extra Materials: ****
Artwork: *****
Content: ****

Overall Score: 4.25 out of 5

Order the Gregory Scott Tarot on Amazon here.