Lenormand Cartomancy

The production is terrific - beautiful printing with vivid colors, exceptional cardstock and lamination, and a really nice box. My only complaint is that the book features a tiny font and lots of white space -- an infelicitous combination for my middle-aged eyes.As in the Son Tarot, Chris's artwork here demonstrates the full maturity of his style -- complex, sophisticated, multilayered melanges of different media. Each card has a unique tone and mood. What I find particularly fascinating is that when applied to a Lenormand, although one might expect these distinctive tones and moods to interfere with straightforward reading techniques, in fact they don't. The tones and moods are distinctive yet they're hard to pin down. They're evocative without simplistically "illustrating" any specific meanings for the cards.I would say that the images bring depth and breadth to the basic symbols without betraying their universality.What I also love about the deck is the variety. Chris has that magic touch which enables him to create a set of images which vary wildly from each other yet somehow still embodies a coherent whole.The multiple layers add depth, but the cards are given yet another dimension by means of the playing card inserts. Rather than simply showing standard playing cards, Chris has ingeniously created 36 little masterpieces in their own right. These inserts show the requisite number of playing card symbols, but those pip symbols are harnessed into a design, unique to each card, which is completely different from yet subtly reflects and comments on the main Lenormand image. I would love to have a set of playing cards with these insert images!Chris's book is straightforward and perfect, as I knew it would be, after his perfect book for the Son Tarot. The card texts include sections for Symbolism, As a Person, and As a Time Frame, and a discussion of the card in combinations. There's also good material on Lenormand history and reading techniques. Chris mentions Iris Treppner and Sylvie Steinbach as influences to his reading style, and he discusses reading 3-card, 5-card, and 7-card lines, as well as standard 9-card and Grand Tableau layouts. He provides many reading examples so you can get a sense of how he does it -- worth reading for any Lenormand practictioner.I think this deck would be an intriguing one for both traditionalists and nontraditionalists. For traditionalists, the main symbols are clearly delineated and the cards delight the eye without providing distracting suggestions of specific interpretations, while nontraditionalists will welcome the multitude of evocative layers.I find the deck and book to be highly satisfying, and I greatly recommend this set.

The deck is beautiful. Card stock is good. The box is excellent. But the book is a major disappointment. Not because of content. I'm sure the content will prove excellent once I muster up the determination to plod through it using a magnifying glass. This book is not comfortable for me to attempt to read even with reading glasses.I have not measured the font size, but it is tiny. Think footnote size. And this is for the whole of the text of the book, except for section headings, and chapter titles. It might have still been workable/readable had the publisher opted to print this tiny font size in darker ink (perhaps black black) and using a different font style. As it is, this is not comfortable, enjoyable, print for reading.I would have much preferred a lesser quality box, and a better quality book. I had planned to cut some time to read the book today. However, instead, I find myself tossing it into my "later" pile. Whenever I finally do get around to navigating the tiny text size, if the book turns out to be as good as I have anticipated, I will likely dismantle the book, and page by page enlarge the copy via photocopy to a more reader- friendly font size that will also then facilitate being able to refer back to the copy again and again through time.5 Stars for the Deck..... 1 Star for the print quality of the book.... can't comment on intellectual content of the book quite yet.

This deck is really unusual -- and beautiful. It's really fun to read with.

These cards are beautiful! They are striking and attract me to do a reading with themThey are smaller than I expected but they are very nice

Beautiful cards, but I expected more from the book don't get me wrong it's an OK book just wanted more to learn off of

I was delighted to receive these beautiful cards.Each of the pictures is a stand-alone, interesting piece of work. The images are expertly montaged and somewhat haunted looking, with elements of 60's trippiness scattered throughout, like patches of sun breaking through the murky shade.Mr. Butler's skills as an artist are not to be denied...but...some of the cards are diffuse and easy to mistake for each other.The Sun, the Mountain and the Crossroads could all be confused by a beginning reader who has not yet learned the numbers or corresponding playing cards of the oracle system...and whether or not we like to acknowledge it, 99% of the readers in this country are new at reading Lenormand...never mind the complete newcomers to to any form of cartomancy- new young readers who are coming along and getting involved even as we speak.If you are an experienced reader, and enjoy collecting new and original, arty decks, this is a lovingly hatched body of work. It's colorful, and sets a nice mood and tone. I hear smooth jazz with just enough edge to make it quirky, hints of space-jam trance, and some spicy exotic instrumentation. Storms mutter in the distance, and the air is humid with its threat.The packaging is the signature Schiffer box- very classy- with magnetic lid, satin ribbon, and fitted compartments.A slim book comes with the kit.The book is printed in black and white, and while I can understand that color printing can make a project prohibitively expensive, the art in this deck is so murky that it's details get lost in the overall darkness of the background. In many of the images, there is not enough variance in tone intensity to translate well to black and white format.Again, this can create some confusion for a person who is still just learning to use Lenormand cards properly.For the intermediate and advanced reader who has a bit more savvy, the images will make you look carefully, and certain of the images that could be confused with each other can be recognized as related. I don't think this is traditional, but it doesn't have to be, to be aesthetically pleasing. It IS thoughtful and interesting.Is it truly Lenormand? I will leave that to the more seasoned experts to judge. I think this could be used effectively as an oracle deck, by someone who is sufficiently attuned with the designer's vision. I was able to do some fairly on-point readings with it, in spite of the issues mentioned above.I am less enthusiastic about the writing than the art. The type was itty bitty- and forced me to break out my reading glasses, previously used only for very tiny bead and thread-work. Boo hiss on that point.Sorry, Christopher! Maybe a few revisions could make this a more usable tool for a wider audience? You're a really good artist, anyway.I like that he provides two of each gender, each subtly different from the other. This gives respect to same-sex relationships, and though some traditionalists may disagree, I feel that it is a decent and respectful gesture.This Deck and Book Kit was received from Schiffer Publishing for review purposes.

Beautiful book and cards!

All okay !