I chose to review this book from my collection first, in relation to the other articles posted and simply because it is a fantastic book to start learning about the wide range of tattoo imagery that tattoo studios cover. For those who go for a ‘flash’ design (i.e. a design that has already been drawn, printed, laminated, sold and displayed for tattoo artists to use as a means of a ready ‘instant’ design that doesn’t necessarily need to be altered ) – this book is a useful tool to help choose a design, and even gives a small amount of information about the history, relationship and common reason for choosing the particular image etc.
The book has been well presented, in a handy AZ format, also cross-referenced, indexed and illustrated with three hundred examples of tattoo line art. Although the images themselves are not particularly useful for the ‘solid’ images to be chosen for an actual tattoo, whether for the consumer or the tattoo artist, they are subtle enough to get a general idea of the design they represent. And with the added bonus of being able to study this in your own home, it may even help some feel more confident when they walk into their chosen tattoo studio, having more knowledge and a better idea about the tattoo they are about to choose. Wall.
The Tattoo Encyclopedia is an extremely good reference book, even for looking up information about a tattoo that you may have already chosen to live with, but not necessarily fully learned about its true meaning and historical ties and values. Included examples of tattoo images range from the anchors sported by sailors to the Harley-Davidson tattoos painted on motorcyclists to the tigers that so many people choose to have as permanent body art. It also includes a welcome range of religiously themed tattoos, which many people don’t seem to properly research before choosing as a new piece of ink, including Chinese, Buddhist, Christian, and some tribal and pagan examples too.
I bought this book about three years ago, simply as a way to help people realize what their particular chosen tattoo and links represent. I was also looking for more material including some writing on tattoo history – a “brief history of tattooing” is included in this encyclopedia, followed by a small amount on symbolism, which served me well for my own studies, reports and articles. . There is also a small section on ‘how to use this book’, with a small ‘disclaimer’ that I agree with 100%: “It is important to note that the nature of a tattoo symbol is sometimes so personal that the only definitive interpretation can come from the bearer of the tattoo.Regardless of the established meaning in a culture, the obvious meaning derived from historical fact, or the original source of a particular image, people will ascribe and ascribe their own meanings to their designs..” Which urges you to remember not to take this book as “gospel”, to retain your own intended meaning and interpretation of your tattoo, but simply to gain a little more knowledge about your design from this book, and use this knowledge as you want it. want. Ignore it, discuss it, discard it entirely, or take it as it is; a small piece of information that you may not have known about or even considered before.
Either way, this book is worth having, if only for the coffee table or as a good conversation starter. Terisa Green writes in a way that is very easy to read, informative and educational but not too formal. An enjoyable read overall.