![Cover of Radiant Rider-Waite(r) Tarot in a Tin [With Book and Keepsake Tin]](/img/radiant-rider-waite-r-tarot-in-a-tin-with-book-and-keepsake-tin-scene.webp)
About the author
Pamela Colman Smith (1878-1951) was a British-American artist and illustrator best known for creating the imagery of the tarot deck published in 1909 under the direction of Arthur Edward Waite, commonly called the Rider-Waite or Rider-Waite-Smith tarot. Trained at Pratt Institute and active in theatrical and literary circles that included W. B. Yeats and Bram Stoker, she was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, whose symbolism informed her card designs. Her innovation was to give every Minor Arcana card, not just the Major Arcana, a fully illustrated scene, a departure that shaped nearly all tarot decks produced since. Editions still in print, including the Smith-Waite Centennial Tarot and various borderless and pocket reissues, reproduce her original 1909 artwork. Long uncredited relative to Waite, Smith has since been recognized as the deck's primary visual author, and current publishers now generally attach her name directly to the deck.
📖 Where to start with Pamela Colman Smith
💬 What our editors say about Pamela Colman Smith's books
“This compact edition successfully preserves the iconic Rider-Waite-Smith illustrations, offering complete pictorial narratives on all seventy-eight cards. Stuart R. Kaplan’s guide provides necessary context for upright and…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on Pocket Rider-Waite(r) Tarot
“While this reproduction is visually stunning and historically significant for its faithful recreation of the iconic 1909 designs, it may not suit readers seeking extensive textual commentary or new interpretive frameworks. It is…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on The Key to the Tarot
“Weiser Books delivers a unique utility item that serves as both a reference tool and a creative companion for serious students of the Waite-Smith deck. The inclusion of over two thousand stickers provides ample material for…”
Esoterica Books editorial team, Occult literature desk · on The Weiser Tarot Card Sticker Book: Includes Over 2,500 Stickers (32 Complete Sets of All 78 Tarot Cards)--Perfect for Tarot Journaling Waite, Arthur Edward
📋 Editions by Pamela Colman Smith in the catalog
| Edition | Year | Publisher | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pocket Rider-Waite(r) Tarot | — | U.S. Games Systems, Inc. | — | 9780880793469 |
| The Key to the Tarot | 2026 | Llewellyn Publications | 128 | 9780738785516 |
| The Weiser Tarot Card Sticker Book: Includes Over 2,500 Stickers | 2023 | Weiser Books | 64 | 9781578638284 |
| The Mini Weiser Tarot: A Miniature Edition of the Classic 1909 W | 2025 | Weiser Books | — | 9781578639113 |
| Radiant Rider-Waite(r) Tarot in a Tin [With Book and Keepsake Ti | — | U.S. Games Systems, Inc. | — | 9781572818033 |
| Smith-Waite(r) Centennial Tarot Deck in a Tin | 2015 | U.S. Games Systems, Inc. | — | 9781572818125 |
| Smith-Waite(r) Tarot Borderless Edition | 2017 | U.S. Games Systems, Inc. | — | 9781572818835 |
| The 100% Plastic Rider Tarot Deck | — | U.S. Games Systems, Inc. | — | 9781646710171 |
| Rider Waite Playing Card Deck: 78-Card Poker Deck, Illustrated w | 2021 | U.S. Games Systems, Inc. | — | 9781646710188 |
| Rider-Waite-Smith(r) Tarot Deck | 2020 | U.S. Games Systems, Inc. | 36 | 9781646710263 |
| Smith-Waite(r) Tarot Deck Borderless Miniature Edition | 2024 | U.S. Games Systems, Inc. | 60 | 9781646712168 |
