Arland Ussher Signed XXII Keys of the Tarot (1957). Ultra-Rare Hand-Coloured Limited 1st Ed No 32/50. Yeats Circle Provenance. Dolmen Press.

THE 22 KEYS OF THE TAROT BY ARLAND USSHER - DESIGNED BY LESLIE MAC WEENEY | SIGNED BY USSHER | JULY 1957 | HAND PAINTED | SPECIALLY BOUND | LIMITED EDITION NUMBER 32 OF 50

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No other example of this signed, hand-coloured special issue has been located by us in published auction or bookseller records.

Intended to be limited to a total of 250 copies, including 50 signed, hand-coloured special editions by MacWeeney. Her uncut hand-colored art now resides at Boston College.

This is number 32 of the signed, hand-coloured special edition.

Step into the esoteric world of Irish mysticism with this rare, signed and hand-coloured edition of The XXII Keys of the Tarot, a beautifully illustrated guide to the Major Arcana by Anglo-Irish essayist Arland Ussher (1899–1980). Published in 1957 by Dublin’s renowned Dolmen Press, this book embodies a unique literary and occult heritage tied to W.B. Yeats and his circle.

Ussher moved within the same intellectual circles as Samuel Beckett and W.B Yeats, all of whom were significant figures in Irish Literature. Both Ussher and the Yeats family had a deep interest in the Tarot and occultism. Two key illustrations in this book, La Papesse (The High Priestess) and Le Pape (The Hierophant), were uniquely copied from cards lent by Georgie Yeats, wife of W.B. Yeats and an influential figure in Irish esoteric circles. These images hold particular historical and symbolic significance. Georgie's experiments with automatic drawing and occult interests were a significant influence on W.B. Yeats's book A Vision.

Dolmen Press was founded by Liam Miller and is the most significant private press in 20th-century Irish publishing. Initially founded to provide a publishing outlet for Irish poetry and the work of Irish artists, the scope of the Press grew to include prose literature by Irish authors as well as a broad range of critical works about Irish literature and theatre.

Illustrator Leslie MacWeeney began working with the Dolmen Press in 1954. She later served as secretary to Anne Yeats (daughter of W.B. Yeats), assisted with the archives of Jack B. Yeats, and worked closely with figures linked to the Cuala Press. Her 22 tarot designs are based primarily on a deck Ussher acquired in Paris.

Note 1:The edition was limited to 250 copies, with copies 1–50 signed, hand-coloured and specially bound. Later accounts concerning the completion of this special issue conflict: a history of the Dolmen Press states that 50 special copies were produced, while a later account attributed to Leslie MacWeeney states that the special edition was never completed due to paper shortages. We have so far been unable to locate another example of the hand-coloured special issue in published auction or bookseller records.

Note 2: Leslie MacWeeney

Leslie MacWeeney Dobbs was born on October 11, 1935, in Dublin, Ireland. She had tuberculosis as a child and was often restricted to bed but found solace in learning to draw. She studied at the National College of Art in Dublin and later in Paris at L'École des Beaux-Arts. MacWeeney began working with the Dolmen Press in 1954, contributing the print "A Wexford Carol" in The Dolmen Chapbook. She was given a studio in the home of Liam and Josephine Miller, the founders of the Dolmen Press, and did much of her illustration work there, both independently and for the press. MacWeeney also worked as Anne Yeats's assistant, as secretary of the Annual Irish Exhibition of Living Art and, with Anne Yeats, Patrick Hickey, Liam Miller, and Elizabeth Rivers, founded The Graphic Studio Dublin in 1960.

MacWeeney relocated to the United States in 1973 and enrolled in the art education program at Boston University's School of Visual Arts. She taught undergraduate courses in art education at Boston University and at Massachusetts College of Art and Design (MassArt), where she was appointed assistant professor in art education. In 1977, MacWeeney married Paul Dobbs. Ten years later, the couple adopted an infant from Honduras, Adam. MacWeeney homeschooled her son, an experience that inspired her to establish The Children’s Studio in 1992, offering classes in drawing, painting, and sculpture for children.

In 1997, MacWeeney helped found Dot Art in Dorchester, Massachusetts, a community art organization which helped inner city youth create art and build self-esteem. MacWeeney also started the community arts organization Living Art. Its “Portraits, People and Places” initiative brought together neighborhood youth and first responders to collaborate on large-scale painted portraits. In 2009, MacWeeney received the Massachusetts Distinguished Arts Educator Award, and in 2023, the City of Boston honored her on the 25th anniversary of her founding of Dot Art. In 2024, the Charitable Irish Society awarded her its annual Silver Key for Service to Immigrants. MacWeeney died at her home in Stoneham, Massachusetts on March 24, 2026.


This is copy No. 32 of 50, signed by Arland Ussher and hand-coloured throughout. The signature and limitation number are shown in the photographs.

Note 3: Arland was also a descendant of Primate James Ussher, Lord Archbishop of Armagh (1625-1656) who was famous for calculating the date of Creation using biblical chronology – concluding the world was created on the evening before 23 October 4004 BC.

Condition: Clean interior, firmly bound, with light, age-appropriate handling to the slipcase. A beautifully preserved and highly desirable collector’s copy. Please refer to photographs for full details.