Tarot of Oz Deck Review

Deck Type: Tarot Deck   Cards: 78  
Creators: David Sexton  
Published: 1997

L. Frank Baum's fifteen Oz books, the most famous of which is the Wizard of Oz, provided the inspiration for these polished and charming tarot cards. Even non-Oz fans can enjoy the Tarot of Oz.


Card Images from the Tarot of Oz


ozfool ozwheel ozstar oz4cups oz5stones ozkingwands

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Tarot of Oz Review by Solandia

From the creator of the Winged Spirit Tarot, David Sexton, is a whimsical tarot deck based on the mythology created by L. Frank Baum in his fifteen Oz books. Of the series written between 1900 and 1920, the first book is the most famous - the Wizard of Oz.

The cards of the Tarot of Oz have a large logo that is repeated through the deck, on every card face and every card back. The logo is a Z inside an O, a disk that is coloured depending on the suit and cards. Majors are yellow with individually coloured interiors; Cups are aqua, blue and yellow; Wands are lilac and lavender; Swords are red and grey; Stones are green and blue. (The Oz symbol in the suits also has the emblem of the suit to either side - fire, a chalice, a sword and a coin.) The logo isn't overly intrusive, instead an anchor and backdrop for the actual tarot scene or figure, but does serve to instantly identify the cards as being from the Tarot of Oz.

The major arcana cards are linked to characters that exemplify the archetype from the Oz universe. Dorothy is, of course, the Fool. The Wizard of Oz is the Magician, the Tin Woodman, the Emperor, and the Cowardly Lion, Strength. (My favourite is the Cyclone as the Wheel of Fortune.) The minor arcana suits are Cups, Wands, Swords and Stones and the cards are lively scenes with Oz characters and situations.

The Tarot of Oz is a high quality deck in almost all aspects. The packaging is the pocket size 'mini-kit' variety from Llewellyn, with a box for the cards and a case for it and the book. (The same kind as the Nigel Jackson Tarot and the World Spirit Tarot.) The artwork is professionally illustrated; the theme is strong. The only mar in the finish of this book and deck set is very minor: there are randomly missing pictures in the companion book. The book shows a black and white image of each card along with one to two pages of text, explaining the tale of the character and the associated traditional meaning. Oddly, some minors have no picture to go with the text. (Were the cards unfinished when the book was laid out, or were there too many pages in the book?)

I'm not a huge fan of the Wizard of Oz book or the movie, but I liked the Tarot of Oz. Its simplicity, quality and clarity of theme make it appealing and an appropriate deck for Oz devotees and the young at heart to "follow the path to enlightenment, paved with bright yellow bricks".


Complete Details of Tarot of Oz

Creators: David Sexton
Publisher: Llewellyn 1997
Deck Type: Tarot Deck
Cards: 78
Major Arcana: 22
Minor Arcana: 56
Deck Tradition: Rider-Waite-Smith
Minor Arcana Style: Unique Scenes With Suit Symbols
Suits: Cups, Swords, Wands, Stones
Court Cards: King, Queen, Prince, Princess
The Fool is 0
Strength is 8
Justice is 11
Card Size: 3.25 x 6.63 in. = 8.26cm x 16.83cm
Card Language: English
Card Back: Unknown
Rating: 14/20 or stars out of five

Similar Decks to Tarot of Oz

Theme: TV & Movies
Creator: Winged Spirit Tarot by David Sexton






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