Uses more than one thousand illustrations to showcase the work of 125 of the most important legendary and pioneering tattoo artists, collecting designs from around the world in a broad range of styles.

An amazing collection of images and information on the tattooing customs of all cultures that ever practised tattooing.

"A grand tour of the world's great tattoos"--Atlas Obscura "This book--part global art historical tome, part coffee-table book of visual wonders--is a valuable corrective to many silly things that we assume about tattooing."--The New Republic A lavishly illustrated global exploration of the vast array of styles and most significant practitioners of tattoo from ancient times to today Tattoo art and practice has seen radical changes in the 21st century, as its popularity has exploded. An expanding number of tattoo artists have been mining the past for lost traditions and innovating with new technology. An enormous diversity of styles, genres, and techniques has emerged, ranging from geometric blackwork to vibrant, painterly styles, and from hand-tattooed works to machine-produced designs. With over 700 stunning color illustrations, this volume considers historical and contemporary tattoo practices in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, North and Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. Each section, dedicated to a specific geographic region, features fascinating text by tattoo experts that explores the history and traditions native to that area as well as current styles and trends. The World Atlas of Tattoo also tracks the movement of styles from their indigenous settings to diasporic communities, where they have often been transformed into creative, multicultural, hybrid designs. The work of 100 notable artists from around the globe is showcased in this definitive reference on a widespread and intriguing art practice.

“Parents with or without tattoos will be touched by [this] heartwarming tale about sharing your past with your children—it leaves a mark” (Real Simple). It’s after dinner and a little boy wants a story from his father. It’s story he’s heard many times before, one etched all over his father’s body. So, dad once again tells his little son the story behind each of his tattoos, and together they go on a beautiful journey through family history. There’s a tattoo from a favorite book his mother used to read him, one from something his father used to tell him, and one from the longest trip he ever took. And there is a little heart with numbers inside—which might be the best tattoo of them all. Tender pictures by the New York Times–bestselling illustrator Eliza Wheeler complement this lovely ode to all that's indelible—ink and love.

"Art, graphics and illustration by the world's leading tattoo artists"--Jacket.

"Juniper Ellis traces the origins and significance of modern tattoo in the works of nineteenth- and twentieth-century artists, travelers, missionaries, scientists, and such writers as Herman Melville, Margaret Mead, Albert Wendt, and Sia Figiel." --book cover.