This beautifully illustrated guide delves deep into the meaning and significance of different tattoo symbols, exploring the rich cultural history around the world of this widespread form of body art

Tattoos are everywhere: one in three of us has at least one. Body art is one of the most popular ways of expressing our identity and beliefs.

But whether we’re aware of it or not when we choose a design to be permanently inked on our skin, a complex language of meanings lies behind the visuals we choose. A lotus flower, koi carp swimming upstream or a dragon rising towards the sun: in the language of tattoos these are all symbols of strength and overcoming adversity.

This book uncovers the meanings behind tattoo symbols, delving into the history of the most popular motifs that recur in many different tattoo styles, including tribal, traditional, Japanese and realistic. Over 130 symbols are grouped according to their meanings, whether it’s good luck, freedom, wisdom, power, spirituality or love.

Each symbol is illustrated with stunning, specially drawn visuals by acclaimed artist and tattooist Oliver Munden, and accompanied by an explanation by tattoo expert Nick Schonberger which delves into its history, significance and application in tattooing.

Both a visual delight and a fascinating insight into the rich cultural heritage of tattooing, this is the perfect book for anyone wanting to learn more about tattoo symbolism, in need of inspiration for their next tattoo, or who just loves tattoo art.

About the Author:

Nick Schonberger is a writer, blogger and critic on fashion, culture and music, based in New York. He is the co-author of TTT: Tattoo (2018) and The Graphic Art of Tattoo Lettering (2019).

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Пролистать книгу The Language of Tattoos: 130 Symbols and What They Mean на Google Books.

Micro Tattoos are a popular trend and have made the art of tattooing more accessible for many people. This book takes a closer look at them and shows the most beautiful small fineline tattoos from the best tattoo artists worldwide. It offers a handy alphabetical overview of the artists, a number of interviews with the most important practitioners, and personal recollections that tell the backstory of specific tattoos.

- The tattoo bible about the trend of the moment: micro tattoos
- Micro Tattoos are more popular than ever
- Discover the most beautiful and arty designs and drawings in ink
- Includes personal stories
- Featuring work by important tattoo artists such as Dr Woo, Mo Ganji, Ben Grillo and many others

About the Authors:

Sven Rayen is a celebrated tattoo artist and runs Studio Palermo in Antwerp together with Ti Racovita.

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Пролистать книгу Micro Tattoos: The World’s Top Fine Line Tattoo Artists

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From the towering Tyrannosaurus to the winged Microraptor, Roaring, Rumbling Tattoo Dinosaurs features 50 detailed tattoos depicting dinosaurs as scientists think they might have looked, along with fascinating facts about each one. Easy to apply with a damp cloth, these tattoos promise tons of prehistoric fun — and learning — for kids with a passion for dinosaurs!

About the Author:

Artemis Roehrig is a children's book coauthor and wrote the text for Super, Strong Tattoo Sharks, Roaring Rumbling Tattoo Dinosaurs, Creepy, Crawly Tattoo Bugs, and Fluttery, Friendly Tattoo Butterflies and Other Insects. She grew up in western Massachusetts and spent summers on Cape Cod where she worked at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. After graduating from Skidmore College, she received her master's degree from the organismic & evolutionary biology program at the University of Massachusetts. She continues to research invasive insects in the Elkinton Lab.

Sleek, stealthy, and powerful, sharks are among the most awesome creatures in the sea. Super, Strong Tattoo Sharks features 50 temporary tattoos of astonishing sharks, from the tiny dwarf lanternshark to the giant, plankton-eating whale shark, plus cool facts about each fearsome fish. Easy to apply with a damp cloth, these tattoos promise lots of fun — and learning — for shark lovers!

About the Author:

Artemis Roehrig is a children’s book coauthor and wrote the text for Super, Strong Tattoo Sharks, Roaring Rumbling Tattoo Dinosaurs, Creepy, Crawly Tattoo Bugs, and Fluttery, Friendly Tattoo Butterflies and Other Insects. She grew up in western Massachusetts and spent summers on Cape Cod where she worked at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary. After graduating from Skidmore College, she received her master’s degree from the organismic & evolutionary biology program at the University of Massachusetts. She continues to research invasive insects in the Elkinton Lab.

Artists from graphic design, photography, illustration, painting and sculpture have found in tattooing a new tool to express themselves and give way to their distinctive language. And they do it with a fresh look and extraordinary results, often far removed from the traditional tattoo. New Tattoo Artists presents the work of 25 tattoo artists from around the world, taking us on an exhilarating journey through this “new art of tattooing”. Their work is nurtured by many sources, resulting in a rich, diverse and especially unique book that offers a revitalized vision of an ancient art along with the artists’ own reflections and personal experiences.

About the Author:

Mariona Cabassa is a designer and illustrator. Born in Barcelona in 1977, she has published her drawings and illustrations in more than 80 children’s books for different publishers, including Barefoot Books, Book House and Quarry Books. A tireless explorer in search of new expressive terrain, she has been involved in the art of tattooing for nearly four years. She has taught illustration applied to tattooing at the Elisava Design School in Barcelona and teaches at different art and design schools in Barcelona.

A crimson fish wrestles a man. A horned demon stares menacingly. 

These vivid scenes are tattoos, created in pain, incised in the flesh of the Yakuza, Japan's feared secret society of gangsters. They are the visions of the Irezumi, the legendary tattoo artists, who spend years creating living masterpieces. Photographer Sandi Fellman describes this strange and violent world both in her text and in her stunning, large 20 x 24 inch Polaroid photographs.

About the Author:

Sandi Fellman is a well-known photographer whose work has been featured in many one-person and group exhibitions in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Australia. Her photographs can be found in numerous private and public collections, including the Museum of Modern Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bibliotheque Nationale, and Center for Creative Photography. Her work has also been widely published over the past fifteen years.

The Russian Criminal Tattoo Archive presents highlights from FUEL’s singular collection of authentic material on this subject

Previously unpublished in its original form, the material in this archive comprises ink-on-paper drawings by Danzig Baldaev, the photographic albums of Arkady Bronnikov and prisoner portraits by Sergei Vasiliev. The selection is contextualised with insights from Mark Vincent PhD (author and academic specialising in the Soviet Gulag) and Alison Nordström (photography scholar, writer and curator).

The meticulous depictions of tattoos by prison guard Danzig Baldaev are reproduced in facsimile, authenticated by his signature and stamp, alongside his handwritten notes on the reverse. Sergei Vasiliev’s photographs portray inmates in startling intimacy, reproduced in colour for the first time. Arkady Bronnikov’s collection of photographs are shown in the albums in which they were collected. Used exclusively to aid police in their investigations, they depict a motley line-up of assorted body parts.

This unique book is the only publication of primary material on this subject, highlighting the pioneering methods of these three individuals used to document this unique phenomenon.

About the Authors:

Danzig Baldaev worked as a warden in ‘Kresty’ (‘the Crosses’) – an infamous Leningrad prison – where he began drawing the tattoos of criminals. Between 1948-2000 he travelled to reform settlements across the former USSR, using pen and ink to record the tattoos he found.
Sergei Vasiliev worked as a photographic journalist for more than 30 years. He documented Russian prisoners and their tattoos in between 1990-93. His work has been exhibited internationally including in the Saatchi Gallery, London and Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin.
Arkady Bronnikov was a police officer working in the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Perm between 1963-91. During this time, he collected thousands of photographs of tattooed prisoners from across the Soviet Union.
Mark Vincent is a writer and academic. He is the author of Criminal Subculture in the Gulag (Bloomsbury). He is a lecturer at the University of East Anglia, School of History.

From the belief of its healing powers to the self-declaration as criminals, through the representation of myths and different religions or affirmation of group belonging, tattoos are one of the most characteristic means of expression associated with sailors, soldiers, organised crime, gangs or urban tribes, as well as being a form of body adornment and expression of a lifestyle, philosophy or belief. By way of a clear, insightful text, this publication unveils the meaning of the tattoos that have lived on through the passage of time and that, even today, explain a lot about the person who wears them. After all, a tattoo is much more than a drawing on the skin, it’s a declaration of intent. And each tattoo has a hidden story that this book is eager to reveal.

Discover the true meanings behind over 200 popular tattoos with this comprehensive book, illustrated with over 100 tattoo designs.

From sailors' swallows and Mexican skulls to prisoners' barbed wire and intricate Maori patterns, tattoos have been used as a means of communication by cultures all over the world for thousands of years.

Through meticulous research, The Tattoo Dictionary uncovers the fascinating origins of the most popular symbols in tattoo history, revealing their hidden meanings and the long-forgotten stories behind them. This beautifully packaged book is an inspiring look at tattoo culture, and an indispensable guide to choosing your own tattoo.

About the Authors:

Trent Aitken-Smith is an international tattoo journalist and editor of Tattoo Master magazine.
Ashley Tyson is a tattoo artist at the award-winning Xotica studio in London.

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Пролистать книгу The Tattoo Dictionary: an A-Z Guide to Choosing Your Tattoo на Google Books

Legendary American tattoo artist Ed Hardy's groundbreaking tattoos, flash, drawings, and artworks are gathered together for the first time in one brash book.

Ed Hardy's (b. 1945) unique vision spans decades, creating an indelible mark on popular culture. Accompanying a major exhibition, this profusely illustrated survey of his life in art traces his inspirations, rooted both in traditional American tattooing of the first half of the twentieth century and in the imagery of Japan's ukiyo-e era. Hardy, raised in Southern California, became intrigued with tattoo art at the age of ten, setting up shop in his parents' den. After attending the San Francisco Art Institute in the 1960s, he rejected a graduate fellowship from Yale to apprentice at studios up and down the West Coast. It was his intention to rescue tattooing from its subculture, "outsider" status and elevate it to at least the level of folk art.

Hardy's success at breathing new life into the art form is chronicled in a plethora of tattoo designs, paintings, drawings, prints, and three-dimensional work spanning fifty years. While the world that inspires him may be lost, Hardy's distinct visual language is vibrantly alive within American visual vernacular, synonymous to some with the spirit of the West Coast itself.

About the Author:

Karin Breuer is the curator in charge of the Achenbach Foundation of Graphic Arts at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

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Пролистать книгу Ed Hardy: Deeper Than Skin: Art of the New Tattoo

The original work of Christian Warlich, Europe's preeminent tattoo artist in the first half of the century, is brought back to life in a stunning new volume.

Christian Warlich was a world-famous German tattooist and his flash book is one of the most coveted objects in the tattoo world. It is now available in this exquisite edition that includes over three hundred hand-drawn designs restored to their original vibrant state. It also includes photographs and other archival material, much of which has never been published before. This book brings Warlich’s career into new focus, reflecting the latest research on how his early years at sea may have influenced his work. Intricate renderings of cowboys and indigenous Americans, Chinese dragons and Japanese geishas, daggers, snakes, and skulls reveal not only Warlich’s influence in the iconography of tattoos, but also suggest the interplay of ideas with

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Пролистать книгу Christian Warlich: Tattoo Flash Book - Original Designs by the King of Tattooists

The photographs, drawings and texts published in this book are part of a collection of more than 3,000 tattoos accumulated over a lifetime by prison attendant Danzig Baldaev. Tattoos were his gateway into a secret world in which he acted as ethnographer, recording the rituals of a closed society.

The icons and tribal languages he documented are artful, distasteful, sexually explicit and sometimes just strange, reflecting as they do the lives and traditions of Russian convicts.

Skulls, swastikas, harems of naked women, a smiling Al Capone, medieval knights in armour, daggers sheathed in blood, benign images of Christ, sweet-faced mothers and their babies, armies of tanks, and a horned Lenin - these are the signs by which the people of this hidden world mark and identify themselves.

This is the final volume of drawings and photographs from Danzig Baldaev and Sergei Vasiliev, which completes the Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia trilogy. 

Danzig Baldaev documented over three thousand tattoos during a lifetime working as a prison guard. His recording of this esoteric world was reported to the KGB who unexpectedly supported him, realising the importance of being able to establish facts about convicts by reading the images on their bodies. The motifs depicted represent the uncensored lives of the criminal classes, ranging from violence and pornography to politics and alcohol. The illustrated criminals of Russia tell the tale of their closed society.

With an introduction by historian Alexander Sidorov, exploring the origin of Russian criminal tattoos and their meaning today.

The intimate relationship of Japanese tattooing with the dark world of the yakuza has helped cover this form of artistic expression with an aura of mystery. But the culture of irezumi is deep and rich in meanings, shapes and motifs that have gone from color woodblock prints to being applied to the skin to beautify and protect their bearers.

This book reveals the meaning and the secrets behind the most significant motifs from traditional Japanese tattooing such as mythological and supernatural creatures, animals, Buddhist deities, flowers and historical characters and turns this art form into a path toward personal knowledge and individual expression. Readers will discover the origin and meaning of each visual representation of the most frequent themes in this art form. Irezumi itai begins with a brief review of the history of Japanese tattoo art and then examines each subject (water, mythological animals, real animals, mythological characters, historical characters, flowers, shunga and yokai) through images and descriptive texts; it also includes a gallery of original designs by the author and a glossary.

The Graphic Art of Tattoo Lettering is a visually led, comprehensive guide to designing and realizing hand-drawn letterforms in the most widely used contemporary tattoo styles.

Each chapter constitutes an accessible overview to these key tattoo styles, including an account of the history, complexities and relevant sub-styles, interviews spotlighting leading practitioners, galleries of exemplary artists’ work, sketches, sketchbooks, finished designs and detailed how-to-design guides to allow readers to truly understand each style.

More than a step-by-step, technical handbook for professional and practising tattoo artists, The Graphic Art of Tattoo Lettering is also an informative introduction to both understanding tattoo styles, their history and context, and learning from them to inform other graphic arts. Touching on the role of lettering in tattooing, as well as considering the components of typographic tattoos, it offers an insight into how tattoo art intersects with other areas of design practice, including sign-making, furniture painting and scrimshaw.

Combining great book design with the inimitable expertise of a master tattoo artist, The Graphic Art of Tattoo Lettering is the ultimate guide for all with an interest or involvement in tattoo art, typography and calligraphy, and graphic design.

Contents List::

Foreword • Traditional • West Coast • Fancy Script • Calligraphic • New School

About the Authors:

B.J. Betts is one of the most influential tattoo artists working today. Based in Delaware, USA, he has published a number of industry-standard guidebooks on tattoo lettering.

Nick Schonberger is a writer, blogger and critic on fashion, culture and music. He lives in New York.