In 1954 Basil Ivan Rakoczi wrote his book «The Painted Caravan», in which he presents a rather romanticed and fanciful view of the gypsies and tarot. It is a good read, even though one will find there little solid material, but instead a nicely woven account that will still appeal to some people. The book is rescued from oblivion, as with Benavides’ work, by some original tarot illustrations. These are primarily a reworking by Rakoczi of the Tarot of Marseilles images, but with some additions and modifications. A few are shown in colour and the endpapers of the book show some paintings based on tarot designs. Rakoczi includes designs for a full 78 card deck. His book is expensive but well worth buying for the tarot images, even if his text today seems too rhetorical and presents a too romanticed and fantastical image of gypsies and their involvement with tarot.
