When I was looking for my first Tarot deck, I wanted to get a Waite deck in order to take advantage of the extensive literature and guidance available.  However, I found it hard to engage with Pamela Colman Smith's classic artwork; her drawings felt too distant, too cold, and too stark. After researching possible alternative decks, I found the Hanson-Roberts Tarot on the rack at the local branch of a national bookstore chain, so that's the deck that I bought. It turned out to be an excellent choice.
 
Mary Hanson-Roberts took the Waite deck and reinterpreted the images in colored pencil. The drawings are not as flat as in the conventional Waite deck,
and the backgrounds are filled in with detail. The colors are generally vivid but not garish.
 
Compared with the renditions on the standard Waite cards, the images on the Hanson-Roberts cards are drawn from a viewpoint which is much closer to the
subject. The figures are much larger, and expressions can be read in the faces. This gives a closer, more personal feeling to the images.
 
The imagery is unusually innocent. In particular, the deck contains no frank nudity. The Lovers are fully clothed, as is the woman shown on The World. The nude figures on cards such as The Devil, The Star, and Judgment are positioned in such a way as to preserve their modesty. Some will feel that the result is too ingenuous and is lacking in artistic edge, but this is a deck for working with, not for admiring. I appreciate the confidence of knowing, when I am reading for someone else, that the cards will not give offense.
 
Although the depictions are modified, the Waite symbology is carried through fairly faithfully. There are some minor differences, but there is only one divergence that I consider significant enough to mention. On the Eight of Swords, the swords completely surround the woman and the bindings are complete (at least as far as one can see); in addition, the woman's head is uplifted and cocked in thought, not hung in resignation.
 
The names and numbers of the cards are consistent with the Waite decks, except that the suit of Wands is renamed the suit of Rods. The Fool is number 0, Strength is VIII, Justice is XI.
 
A correspondence between the suits and the elements is implied through the backgrounds of many of the minor arcana. Rods (Wands) usually depict fiery sunrises and sunsets, Cups often have water in the background, Swords tend to be set against dark skies. Pentacles, however, do not seem to carry any particular earth theme (or perhaps I'm too dense to notice it).
 
The cards are not quite as wide as the Rider-Waite cards, and they are noticeably shorter. All cards are labeled with number and suit (number and designation for the major arcana). The primary labeling is in English; Spanish, French, German, and Italian labels appear in smaller type. There being insufficient room in the borders of the card, the labels appear in a banner across the bottom of the image (a couple of cards require two banners to hold all of the text). On some of the cards, the banner covers parts of the image that I'd like to see. I would rather have had larger cards with the labeling in the borders.
 
The design on the back of the cards is nothing special. It always looks smudged to me. Although the back design is basically reversible, a close examination shows some inconspicuous but definite telltales in the darker areas of the design.
 
The Little White Book (LWB) included with the deck is generic fare, written by Stuart R. Kaplan. The only spread described in the LWB is one variation of the Celtic Cross.
 
In summary, this deck probably won't appeal to those who are looking for edgy artistry or distinctive symbolism. However, if you're looking for a deck which is suitable for everyday use, hewing closely to the Waite tradition but with imagery which is softer, richer, and more approachable, I can highly recommend the Hanson-Roberts Tarot.
 
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Guest Review Copyright 2001 by Doug Pardee
used with permission
 
Wicce's note: you can buy this deck now!  Click here for more info.