This out-of-print tarot deck is probably the best bilingual Spanish-English deck I have seen.  Modeled, of course, after the Marseille tarot, it features brilliant colors and a lot of visual interest.  Even the back design, green on brown, is eye-catching.  The box is very nice, too, with a lid that slides on over the bottom, instead of flaps that tuck in.

When I say brilliant color, I don't automatically mean that the colors are in the right places.  Green hair, orange skin, and navy blue grass and trees are not uncommon.  While unusual, however, certain details are brought out by virtue of their contrasts, which often are missed in other decks.

In the Major Arcana, each card has the title in English in the top white border, and the title in Spanish in the bottom white border.  The Roman numeral for each card is in the upper left hand corner, in the border, but the number is also worked into the actual design of the card somewhere different in each picture.  Astrological symbols and Hebrew Letter correspondences are also integrated into the designs.  Interesting details jump out at you from each card, such as the Fool wearing two different shoes, or the Star pouring water from one vase and fire from the other.  The Magician has not one but three swords and four cups on his table, as well as two coins.  He has no wand at all save that which he holds in his hand.

In the Minor Arcana, the cards in each suit are numbered with Arabic numerals from 1 for the Aces right through 14 for the King.  Court titles are in Spanish only.  The numbered cards in each suit are untitled.  Suits are the classic Swords, Cups, Coins and Batons.  Court titles are King, Queen, Knight and Page.  More weird colors abound in the Minors.

The cards themselves are standard sized and handle and shuffle easily.  The edges are finished with a normal edge, not polished smooth but cut evenly and no ragged edges or sharpness to cause paper cuts.  A semi-gloss coating protects the cards from spills or stains.

Instead of a booklet, a folded up sheet of paper accompanies the deck with brief descriptions for each card.  More emphasis is placed on the Major Arcana, with explanations for the symbolism contained on the cards, including the Hebrew letter correspondences.  The actual names of each Hebrew letter are spelled differently in this brochure, and I assume it's translational differences.  The meanings described for the Minor Arcana are curt keyword descriptions common to Marseille-style tarot.  Two methods of layout are described for use, and interestingly, neither is the Celtic Cross.  There is a statement in this brochure that states specifically that "Mr. Balbi does not admit an inverse significance....." and explanations are included with this.

Overall, I highly recommend this deck for any tarot collectors, most especially those who follow and use the Marseille model more for readings.  This will make an interesting alternative to traditional Marseille decks.  A beginner working with the classic meanings would be able to use this; however, there are no regular books for working with it so I don't recommend it for beginners specifically.  Overall, though, it's a really neat deck.

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Review Copyright 1998 by Gina M. Pace

Tarot Balbi by Domenico Balbi, 1976
published by Heraclio Fournier Vitoria, Spain