The author applies a perturbation method to determine tidal deformations on a rotating, spherically asymmetric, visco-elastic, laterally heterogeneous and anisotropic Earth. He shows that the deviations from tides on a nonrotating spherical Earth are on the order of one per cent. This applies to the effects of rotation, ellipsoidal shape of the Earth, visco-elasticity, lateral heterogeneity and anisotropy in the mantle, separately. With respect to the effects of rotation and ellipticity he finds significant quantitative discrepancies from what was accepted so far. With respect to lateral...