Vanishing Tattoo >> HomeTATTOO BOOKS

 

Home
CELEB TATTOOS
TATTOO TRIP MAP
JOURNEY STARTS
A JOURNEY ENDS
PHOTO GALLERIES
TRIBAL DESIGNS
TATTOO QUIZ
COOL LINKS
LINK TO US
TATTOO BOOKS
BOOK REVIEWS
PRESS ROOM
AWARDS
ASK US!
TATTOO TRIBE
CONTACT INFO

official-tattoo-brand-125x125

Shop at Amazon.com! As an affiliate of Amazon.com we have brought together this list of books about tattoos and tattooing. Looking for more information on tattoos? Maybe another book to add to your collection? Just curious? Click on a title to be taken to Amazon's web site where you will get a complete description of the book. Purchases are done directly through Amazon.com and are Guaranteed 100% Safe! Happy reading!
Tattoo Design Directory Tattoo Design Directory:
The Essential Reference for Body Artists

Book Description
A complete reference guide for body artists, illustrating the essential techniques of tattoo art and providing stylish designs on a range of subjects, many of them accompanied by photographs showing how the design translates to the skin. The designs provided include classic tattoo motifs such as flowers, hearts, butterflies, stars and zodiac symbols alongside contemporary favourites such as Japanese kanji characters. The result is a complete guide to the art of tattooing as well as a rich source of over 200 designs suitable for tattoos. A must for anyone interested in the subject.
Body Type: Intimate Messages Etched in Flesh
Book Description
Body Type is an eye-opening look into the amazingly creative ways that tattoo artists are utilizing typography. Whereas the majority of tattoo art uses images to convey messages, here the message actually is the image. Twenty-six alphabetical characters might not seem like much to work with, but a look through these photographs reveals the contrary. Here are truly unique social commentaries, expressions of love, hilarious examples of biting satire, plus some mottos, intricate logotypes, deeply personal song lyrics, and, of course, those tattoos that exist for one reason only: to shock the hell out of you. The crisp photographs are accompanied by an insightful commentary from renowned graphic designer and typographer Ina Saltz, plus consistently surprising and heartfelt explanations from the tattooed.
The Tattooing Arts of Tribal Women
Book Description
This lavishly illustrated account of the vanishing art of women's tribal tattooing is the record of tattoo anthropologist Lars Krutak's ten-year research with indigenous peoples around the globe. Spanning five continents, The Tattooing Arts of Tribal Women explores the personal and collective acts of human transformation through the tradition of indelible marking among indigenous peoples, past and present.

Throughout human history, women have applied tattoos to living skin in their attempts to beautify, heal, empower, or carry the male and female body into the afterlife. And as all tattoo bearers were participants in shared pain and recuperation, the skin was the location where identity and experience met. Tattoo firmly anchored indigenous values on the skin by creating a living canvas rooted in traditional practice. As ritual, tattooing re-enacted myth: it imitated the actions of the gods and ancestors who sacrificed their own skins to make them more lasting and sacred.

The Sketchbook: 80 Unique Designs by the World's Finest Tattoo Artists
Book Description
The artistic versatility of tattoo artists has frequently been overshadowed by the negativity that surrounds tattooing in general. Many tattoos are made by would-be artists who copy overused designs. A perfectly tattooed body requires the skills of a professional and talented artist, who creates a unique and personal design. These designs are often inspired by one or more of the various tattoo styles of Japanese, Maori or other tribal origin. "The Sketchbook" offers the reader a selection of 80 of these unique designs by well-known and less famous, but very promising, tattoo artists from around the world. Each artist was requested to create a sketch unrestrained by commercial demands and which reflects their own personal motivations. 

Tattoo: Bodies, Art, And Exchange In The Pacific
 And The West (Objects/Histories)

Book Description
The history of tattooing is shrouded in controversy. Citing the Polynesian derivation of the word "tattoo," many scholars and tattoo enthusiasts have believed that the modern practice of tattooing originated in the Pacific, and specifically in the contacts between Captain Cook's seamen and the Tahitians. Tattoo demonstrates that while the history of tattooing is far more complex than this, Pacific body arts have provided powerful stimuli to the West intermittently from the eighteenth century to the present day. The essays collected here document the extraordinary, intertwined histories of processes of cultural exchange and Pacific tattoo practices. Art historians, anthropologists, and scholars of Oceania provide a transcultural history of tattooing in and beyond the Pacific...  

Tattoos of the Floating World
Book Description
This unique book by tattoo artist Takahiro Kitamura (Horitaka, a pupil of Horiyoshi III) discusses the art of the Japanese tattoo in the context of Ukiyo-e, concentrating on the parallel histories of the woodblock print and the tattoo. Through high quality illustrations it shows that the Japanese tattoo is highly reliant on and linked to the woodblock print and that it deserves a position among the other art forms. A range of typical ukiyo-e motifs in the Japanese tattoo are discussed and illustrated by the original Japanese prints, and sketches, drawings and tattoos by tattoo master Horiyoshi III. The book ends with a special essay by Don Ed Hardy. 

Bushido
Book Description
This gorgeous book delves into the elusive world of traditional Japanese tattooing. The Samurai spirit, Bushido, is an integral component of Japanese tattooing that is traced through the imagery and interpersonal dynamics of this veiled subculture. The eloquent text is based largely on Takahiro Kitamuras experiences as client and student of the famed Japanese tattoo master, Horiyoshi III. Over 200 beautiful photos by Jai Tanju capture the breathtaking tattoo artistry of Horiyoshi III. Five original, unpublished prints by Horiyoshi III, like those in his acclaimed book, 100 Demons of Horiyoshi III, are included here. Bushido: Legacies of the Japanese Tattoo is certain to fascinate everyone with an interest in tattoo culture.

Dedicated by Blood; Whakautu ki te totu Dedicated by Blood; Whakautu ki te totu
Renaissance of Ta Moko

Book Description
Gordon Toi Hatfield and Patricia Steur
Dedicated By Blood is the result of four years of intensive collaboration between Steur and Hatfield. Their shared passion for the Maori culture resulted in beautiful photographs that not only uncover the soul of Ta Moko, but also the pride of a clan intimately revealing the artistry and essence of Gordon’s designs. The body became the ‘wood’ for the artist and a symbol of the history of the clan and culture. This book reflects the renaissance of the Maori culture through the meaning of Ta Moko. 
 *NOTE this book is currently available through other publisher's websites and not Amazon.com
The Tattoo Encyclopedia : A Guide to Choosing Your Tattoo
Book Description
Tattoos continue to move into the mainstream and grow in popularity with each passing day. For people contemplating getting a tattoo, however, the choice of images can be overwhelming. A comprehensive, informative exploration of the colorful world of tattoos, The Tattoo Encyclopedia presents concise descriptions of symbols both common and unusual and sheds light on their historic, religious, and cultural significance.
500 Tattoo Designs
Book Description
Tattoos are no longer unusual or uncommon; they are now an undeniable element of mainstream style and fashion. But tattoos are expensive and, more importantly, permanent; so choosing an image is a very big decision. Here to help is 500 Tattoo Designs, a vast reference library of popular tattoos....  
Indian Myths & Legends from the North Pacific Coast of America: A Translation of Franz Boas' 1895 Edition of Indianische Sagen Von Der Nord-Pacifischen Kuste Amerikas
Book Description 

This volume of First Nations myths and legends is an extraordinarily important document in the history of North American anthropology.

The British Columbia Indian Language Project is directed by ethnographer/linguist Randy Bouchard and socio-cultural anthropologist Dr. Dorothy Kennedy.

Tattoos from Paradise
Book Description
Traditional tattooing designs are depicted from the exotic Pacific Polynesian cultures of Easter Island, Hawaii, the Marquesas, New Zealand, Samoa, Tahiti and Tonga. The actual process and ceremonies involved in tattooing are described and illustrated with over 250 drawings and color illustrations of native people. Included are actual 19th century photographs as well as early exploration art, paintings, drawings, engravings, and artifacts all relating to tattooing. 

Electric Tattooing by Women 1900-2003
Book Description
Madame Chinchilla has written an historically significant book on women tattoo artists. Another great book by Madame Chinchilla the author of "Stewed, Screwed & Tattooed". A MUST read for anyone interested in tattooing.
Electric Tattooing by Men, 1900-2004
Book Description
A historical/contemporary collection of black and white portraits of male tattoo artists worldwide. Each artist has a personal statement about their love of the art of tattoo.
Bob Baxter, Editor Skin and Ink Magazine, 2004
"...anyone who can cajole the icon of American tattooing, Lyle Tuttle, to pose in the buff must have persuasive powers..."
Click to order Bob Baxter's Book here! Tattoo Road Trip - The Pacific Northwest
Book Description
Travel along behind the scenes with Skin & Ink editor Bob Baxter on his two-week solo journey  through the small towns and big cites of America's Pacific Northwest. From the Oregon-California border, northward to Washington State and over the border to Vancouver, B.C., every day is a new adventure, as Bob meets the exotic women and lusty men who proclaim their individuality from Grants Pass to Seaside, Seattle  to Surrey. *NOTE this book is currently available through another website and not Amazon.com
Tattoo History Source Book The Tattoo History Source Book
Book Description
The Tattoo History Source Book is an exhaustingly thorough, lavishly illustrated collection of historical records of tattooing throughout the world, from ancient times to the present. Collected together in one place, for the first time, are texts by explorers, journalists, physicians, psychiatrists, anthropologists, scholars, novelists, criminologists, and tattoo artists. A brief essay by Gilbert sets each chapter in an historical context. Topics covered include the first written records of tattooing by Greek and Roman authors; the dispersal of tattoo designs and techniques throughout Polynesia; the discovery of Polynesian tattooing by European explorers; Japanese tattooing; the first 19th-century European and American tattoo artists; tattooed British royalty; the invention of the tattooing machine; and tattooing in the circus. The anthology concludes with essays by four prominent contemporary tattoo artists: Tricia Allen, Chuck Eldridge, Lyle Tuttle, and Don Ed Hardy.
The Tribal Tattoo Pack : Learn the 
Ancient Art of Tribal Body Decoration

The art of decorating the body with tattoos dates back as early as the Ice Age. Although the use of tattoos among indigenous peoples is waning, the practice lives on, as more and more people around the world discover body art. Peoples from Central Asia and America, tribes and nomads from North Africa and the Middle East, and the Australian Aborigines and Maoris have a long tradition of practicing this art. Each design in this pack is unique and carries its own special meaning, whether as religious symbol, talisman, charm, indicator of status or position, or simply an adornment. The meanings and myths behind the patterns are clearly explained in the history of this fascinating art. 
Tattoo Art Tribal Vol.II
Book Description 
Tattoo Art has been producing high quality tattoo designs for over 10 years. Professional tattoo artists worldwide have used Tattoo Art's wide assortment of designs to satisfy all their customer needs. The quality and variety of the tattoo designs produced by Tattoo Art has placed them among the industry leaders.
cover Tattoo Art Tribal Vol.III
Book Description 
Tattoo Art Books are your #1 choice when it comes to high quality tattoo designs. Tattoo Art Books are used by professional tattoo artists worldwide. If quality and variety are what you need, turn to the tattoo designs used by the pro's - Tattoo Art Books. 
Return of the Tribal Return of the Tribal : A Celebration of Body Adornment : Piercing, Tattooing, Scarification, Body Painting
Alternative Publisher Review 
The Return of the Tribal attempts to look at all types of body adornment from tribal to urban, from piercing to body painting, from scarification to tattoos, and from genital mutilation to structural modifications of the ears, legs & neck. And it does so with a cornucopia of full-color photos presented alongside a very readable text. This may well be the best book of its kind currently available.
The Total Tattoo Book The Total Tattoo Book
Book Description
The most comprehensive book yet on this unique art form. Whether flaunted or hidden, sought as art or curiosity, the tattoo has left its mark on generations. From its beginnings as a pagan ornament to today's popular body art, this book takes an intriguing look at the world of tattoos. 150 photos.
Moko: Maori Tattoos Moko: Maori Tattoos
Graphis, 12/99 
The book's 72 portraits form a compelling, haunting, vulnerable, frightened, beautiful, defiant mix.
The Art of the Tattoo The Art of the Tattoo
Synopsis
From Native American designs to bikers' insignias, this one-of-kind collection of photographs features work done by more than 25 of the world's top tattoo artists in over 250 archival and commissioned photos.
Written on the Body
David Horn, author of Social Bodies: Science, Reproduction and Italian Modernity 
"[a] rare collection...will seduce a wide variety of readers in history, anthropology, cultural studies, gender and sexuality studies..."
American Tattoo American Tattoo : As Ancient As Time, As Modern As Tomorrow: Book, Postcards and 3 Temporary Tattoos
Synopsis 
This nostalgic collection of early American tattoo art will charm collectors, artists, and the ever-growing tattoo audience. Tracing the history of tattoos in the U.S. through biographies of tattoo artists and featuring stunning, full-color illustrations of the works themselves--also known as "flash"--this gorgeous ArtBox details the unique style of the classic American tattoo. 35 full-color and b&w images. 15 postcards of "flash." 3 temporary tattoos. Decorated box.
Bodies of Subversion Bodies of Subversion :
A Secret History of Women and Tattoo

Don E. Hardy, renowned tattooist and historian 
Bodies of Subversion is a comprehensive and clear-eyed account of tattooing and women in Western society over the past century. Margot Mifflin furthers understanding of this complex art as it exists among women. It is essential reading for anyone interested in the subject.
New York City Tattoo New York City Tattoo : The Oral History of an Urban Art
Entertainment Weekly, Margot Mifflin 
Although the book can come across as too specialized for the average reader, New York City Tattoo does unearth and preserve an alluringly gritty chunk of postwar, pre-hippie New York history.
Bad Boys and Tough Tattoos Bad Boys and Tough Tattoos : A Social History of the Tattoo With Gangs, Sailors and Street-Corner Punks...
From Book News, Inc. June 1, 1991
Nearly 40 years ago, the author gave up his career as an English professor to become a tattoo artist. At the urging of his friend Dr. Alfred Kinsey, he kept a daily journal for many years about his experiences, from which this anecdotal analysis is derived. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.
cover Sailor Jerry Tattoo Flash
Book Description 
Between 1940 and 1973, Norman Sailor Jerry Collins became known as the greatest practitioner of classic American tattooing. His masterful designs-featuring ships and beautiful girls, eagles, hearts, roses, and other now-familiar motifs-were widely imitated but rarely matched for boldness, elegance, and clarity. This wonderful collection of Sailor Jerry's own working patterns, known as flash art, is a treasure trove for tattoo fans as well as students of Americana and folk art. Each sheet of flash art is reproduced in full size in order to show the subtleties of detail and shading for which Collins was renowned. As today's tattoo renaissance spreads, there is a fast-growing appreciation of the artistic and cultural value of traditional designs like Sailor Jerry's-a fact to which Sailor Jerry Tattoo Flash is a surprisingly beautiful and wit-laced testament.
Stewed Screwed and Tattooed Stewed Screwed and Tattooed
Skin & Ink Magazine, Holly Tuesday January 1998 

"...intriguing insights from a woman tattooists viewpoint on social stigmas and the spiritual nature of tattoo art."
Modern Primitives Modern Primitives
Book Description 
The New York Times called "Modern Primitives" "the Bible of the underground tattooing and body piercing movement." Crammed with illustrations and information, it's now considered a classic that thoroughly investigates ancient human decoration practices such as tattooing, piercing, scarification and more.
Colour Full Pain Color Full Pain : Tattoo Piercing
Midwest Book Review 
Color Full Pain: Tattoo Piercing is an amazing portfolio of black and white photographs, Walter Kehr documents one of the strangest fads to sweep through the contemporary American counter-culture -- body piercing and tattooing. Practices normally associated with primitive cultures, body piercing combined with tattooing has taken on aspects of social protest and the "body-as-art". Warning: Kehr's Color Full Of Pain is not for the squeamish.
The Body Art Book The Body Art Book : A Complete, Illustrated Guide to Tattoos, Piercings, and Other Body Modifications
Bodies Under Siege Bodies Under Siege : Self-Mutilation and
Body Modification in Culture and Psychiatry

Book Description 
University of Missouri, Columbia. Second edition of a presentation of the author's theory on the acts of self-mutilation, for therapists. Previous edition 1987. Discusses the relationship between the act of self-injury and self-healing. Softcover.
The New Tattoo The New Tattoo
The author, Victoria S. Lautman , March 28, 1998
Presenting tattoos as fine art, with an ancient history. 

When I wrote The New Tattoo in 1994, the trend in body modification was just breaking into mainstream society, yet there were no mainstream books available to anyone interested in exploring the subject. As a journalist who had written about tattooing from a purely observational standpoint, I thought it would be timely - and interesting - to publish a longer book about it, treated as an art form and presented as such. Hence, The New Tattoo...
Prison Tattoos Prison Tattoos
Book Description
In prison, the tattoo stakes a claim to individuality. In Prison Tattoos, Douglas Hall Kent uses his camera as a sociologist's tool, photographing inmates from America's prisons whose tattoos, professionally done and homemade, indelibly imprint on their bodies what these men desire in their souls: autonomy and identity.
Bodies of Inscription Bodies of Inscription :
A Cultural History of the Modern Tattoo Community

From Booklist March 1, 2000 
Although academic, this book has much to recommend it for general collections. The tattoo community of which DeMello writes--and in which she participates--is demographically quite different from the old. It is more female, more middle-class, and more educated, whereas the earlier society of tattoo collectors was primarily working class and male. DeMello lays out some of the social history of tattooing to prepare for her discussion of the changes in tattooing in the past 20 years. From handpicked prison tattoos to the latest in today's "tribal" design, from gang symbols to feminist ones, tattoos themselves have changed to meet changing consumer demand...
Body Art: The Body as Language Body Art: The Body as Language
Book Description 
The re-issue of Lea Vergine's groundbreaking text on Body Art, with a new introduction. When it appeared in 1974, it was the first book to witness the birth and growth of one of the most singular and controversial artistic manifestations of our century, Body Art. The book contains Lea Vergine's thoughtful insight on the golden age of the Body Art movement, the magic Seventies, and several writings by the artists themselves.
The Return of the Tribal Body Adornment Kit The Return of the Tribal Body Adornment Kit
Book Description 
The modern worldwide revival of piercing, tattooing, scarification, and body painting has its origins in tribal culture and practices. Many interpret this vanguard activity as a return to our tribal beginnings--a way to identify who we are in a world that has lost its sense of community...
Tattooing the Invisible Man: Bodies of Work Tattooing the Invisible Man: Bodies of Work
Book Description 
In recent years, appreciation for tattoo art has soared, from the discovery of a 5000 year-old tattooed mummy to its acceptance within an art world increasingly intertwined with pop culture. Determined to be a tattoo artist at the age of ten and tattooing professionally since 1967, California native Don Ed Hardy has become one of the world's leading tattoo artists. Inspired by traditional Japanese work, he was instrumental in developing the medium's fine art potential and fueling the late-century international tattoo boom. Tattooing the Invisible Man presents a survey of Hardy's paintings, etchings, lithographs, drawings, photographs, and elaborate tattoos, over 500 color illustrations, most never before published. Chronicling a uniquely extreme self-expression that encompasses Asian aesthetics, Western art history, surfing, hot rod art, and California funk, this exhibition catalogue will appeal to a wide-ranging audience, and will be an important addition to the printed history of the tattoo.
Tribal Tattoo Designs Tribal Tattoo Designs
Book Description
An detailed look at tribal tattoo designs. Illustrated with historical images collected by early explorers and observers. Book has some background text but the images and drawings are the main focus of this work.
Sorry no pic Masters of Tattoo
Reader Review
The main focus of this awesome book IS tattoos, but most of the people also have body piercing and are generally what mainstream society would consider unconventional-looking, to say the least. The pictures are very pure-in a studio with a white background (except for a few in tattoo parlors), lighting that is very stark, simple and non-fussy. It's a very kind of low-key, classy, subtle technique, and it works BEAUTIFULLY here. You really get a sense of these people's personalities, without any distracting over-production/direction... The best tattoo-photography book I'VE ever seen...and I'm obsessed with them, I've seen just about ALL of 'em. BUY THIS BOOK. It's a stunner.
The Japanese Tattoo
Reader Reviewer: Robert Wild 
Are you interested in Japanese tattoos? yes? Then this book is definitely for you! The photographs are great. and the tattoos on display are all done by some of the greatest Japanese tattoo masters. the introduction I found rather bad; very artsy fartsy. but it's only a bit more than a page long. so don't worry. The complementary text Sandi Fellman has written I haven't even read yet - I've been way too busy looking over and over again at the tattoos. Again: if you're into tattoos and/or Japanese tattoos you simply have to buy this book!
Sorry no pic Tahiti Tattoos
Sorry no pic Coping With the Dangers of Tattooing,
Body Piercing and Branding

Synopsis
 
Gives information needed to make an informed decision about body modification including the laws and safety regulations surrounding this business.
Back to Top of Page
Home ] CELEB TATTOOS ] TATTOO TRIP MAP ] JOURNEY STARTS ] A JOURNEY ENDS ] PHOTO GALLERIES ] TRIBAL DESIGNS ] TATTOO QUIZ ] COOL LINKS ] LINK TO US ] [ TATTOO BOOKS ] BOOK REVIEWS ] PRESS ROOM ] AWARDS ] ASK US! ] TATTOO TRIBE ] CONTACT INFO ]

Copyright © 1999- www.vanishingtattoo.com All rights reserved.