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The Original Rider Waite Tarot Pack is, perhaps, the most desired tarot pack in the world. It is conceived by A. E. Waite and the cards are designed by Pamela Colman Smith. Summary of the Book The Original Rider Waite Tarot Pack was first published by William Rider & Son of London in 1910. The well-known illustrator Pamela Colman Smith drew the cards as per the directions given by Arthur Edward Waite. The following year, A.E. Waite wrote an instruction booklet, The Key to the Tarot and explained how to use the deck, along with the history of the cards and the meaning and importance of each symbol. This pack progressively became famous and has been playing a significant role in the progress of tarot decks. The pictures on the deck seem simple, but every minute detail has a symbolic connotation. Most of the tarot decks produced today are said to be imitations of the original Rider-Waite deck, because of the similarity in their illustrations and symbolism. This edition has a specially commissioned foreword by Liz Greene. About A. E. Waite Arthur Edward Waite was a British writer, academician, editor, and translator. He authored about 50 books and translated many works from French to English. His major interests were topics like The Holy Grail, Alchemy and Tarot. Arthur was born in America but moved to England in his early years after his father’s demise. He was a sincere Catholic, however, post his teenage sister’s death, he started losing faith. He slowly started getting fascinated about the occult. He began writing essays and articles that ultimately made him develop the Rider Waite Tarot Deck along with The Key to the Tarot. Some of the books written by Arthur are Inner and Outer Order Initiations of the Holy Order of the Golden Dawn, The Hidden Church of the Holy Grail, and Theories as to the Authorship of the Rosicrucian Manifestoes.