Publication Facts and Rating (0 to 5 stars) "At-a-Glance"

Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Publication Year: 1998 (reprinted 1999)
Number of cards: 78
Quality of artwork -- 3 1/2 stars
Usefulness for meditation/pathworking -- 2 stars
Readability (Divination) -- 3 1/2 stars
Symbology -- 3 stars
Value to Collectors -- 2 stars

General Commentary
When one thinks of tarot publishers, Simon and Schuster is probably not the first publishing house to come to mind. In fact, according to their own on-line product catalog, they currently publish exactly two decks -- the popular Mythic Tarot by Greene and Shaman-Burke, and Jane Lyle's Renaissance Tarot (both are available, as one might expect, only as packaged deck-and-book sets).

However, despite being produced by a major U.S. publisher, this deck doesn't seem to have gotten much distribution or recognition among on-line tarot enthusiasts. Of the on-line vendors I found who claimed to have "the widest assortment of tarot on the web" or "every tarot deck currently made" (yes, I actually found a site that claimed the latter; they weren't even close), none of them had this deck included in their lists. It is easily purchased through amazon.com, however, and your local megabookstore can probably order it from Simon and Schuster (if they don't already have one in stock).

Perhaps the reason that this tarot has been largely ignored is due to confusion arising from its name. People may see its title and immediately assume that reference is being made to the more familiar Renaissance Tarot by Brian Williams, or maybe to Trevisan's Tarot of the Renaissance. Or perhaps this deck has been eclipsed by The Lovers' Tarot, Lyle's other and better-known contribution to the world of tarot cards. Certainly, given that Lyle's name is associated with both decks, one is tempted to compare this tarot with the Lovers' deck. However, the two are totally different. In fact, the illustrations for The Renaissance Tarot were created by Helen Jones, rather than by Lyle herself. Whether Jones designed the illustrations on her own and Lyle simply provided the text, or whether Lyle directed Jones in the creation of the artwork is never made clear in the accompanying book. In any case, the style of the artwork is much simpler than that of the Lovers' tarot, but just as appealing in its own way. According to the only other 'net review I managed to locate, Jones' images were sculpted as bas reliefs set against monocolored fabric, which were then photographed to create the cards. Again, the book does not mention how the artwork was actually put together, but the appearance of the cards tends to support this statement.

The majors, aces, and court cards incorporate a fair amount of detail and symbolic content. The 2 - 10 pip cards are much simpler in appearance and design, but manage to avoid the "cop out" of some deck designers who, obviously interested only in the majors, simply throw in some stylized pip symbols of the correct number to fill out their sets. While the cards lack the symbolic depth of the Rider-Waite and other popular reading decks, there is still plenty here to trigger one's intuitive faculties. In fact, the simplicity and clarity of the symbolism in this deck may make it a good deck for beginning readers -- its images are pleasant and appealing, but not overwhelming. Lyle's book is also simple and clear; the intended meaning of the cards' designs and symbols is explained in a manner that should be interesting and helpful to both beginning and experienced tarot readers alike.

In summary, this is a deck that should appeal to just about everyone, regardless of their interest in tarot. I have not placed this deck at the "top of the scale" in my rating system (back at the beginning of this review) on any one dimension, as I do not find it to be a "superior" deck from any single standpoint. But it is a solid, well-designed, and well-rounded effort; it is well thought out, with competent and charming illustrations accompanied by an informative text. Because it should not be too difficult to find domestically (by which I mean "within the U.S."), this deck may not be valuable to people who are only interested in collecting tarots that are worth a lot of money. Otherwise, Lyle and Jones' Renaissance Tarot should make a good entry on most folks' "deck wish list."

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Guest review copyright 2000 by Jeannette Roth
Used by permission