The Alpha Word Game System is based on the original deck of Alpha Playing Cards, which was first conceived in 1994 and self-published in 1997 by Tim Schutz aka tjgames.com.
Picture of the original Alpha Playing Cards
The current deck of Alpha Playing Cards is the same as the original deck, except for the addition of two things:
There won't be a reprint of the original Alpha Playing Cards, but there are still a few left from the last print run. If you are interested in buying a deck you can still purchase them at http://tjgames.com/alpha.html
The original deck of Alpha Playing Cards has won three awards, Learning Magazine 2001 Teachers' Choice Award, Parent to Parent 2006 Adding Wisdom Award and Creative Child Magazine 2006 Game of the Year Award.