The Tattoo Encyclopedia : A Guide to Choosing Your Tattoo

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
A unique illustrated reference on the origins and meanings of nearly one thousand tattoo symbols that serves as a guide for choosing a personal image and provides a fascinating look at the tattoo as a work of art.

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.

Organized in a convenient A-to-Z format, cross-referenced, indexed by category, and illustrated with three hundred samples of authentic tattoo line art, this book features a stunning array of images ranging from ancient Buddhist and Chinese designs to those sported by twenty-first-century bikers. The definition of each symbol includes the widely accepted interpretation based on historical fact and cultural source, as well as various interpretations that have developed across different cultures and time periods.

Whether choosing a personally significant tattoo, wanting to learn more about a symbol, or simply being interested in tattoos as a form of art and body decoration, readers will discover the richness of tattoo culture in The Tattoo Encyclopedia.

Customer Reviews: Read 20 more reviews...

1 out of 5 stars

Virtually useless October 17, 2005
28 out of 34 found this review helpful

The illustrations are little more than commercially-available clip art. The descriptions and explanations are so brief as to be meaningless, and the historical information is ubiquitously available on myriad Internet sites. If you have never seen a tattoo before in your life, this will be a fascinating read. But for the rest of us who have even the slightest prior knowledge of tattoos or generic iconography, buying this book will be an utter waste of money. May I suggest instead that you vist a tattoo shop and discuss designs with an artist.

3 out of 5 stars

The Mark of Cain June 18, 2008
21 out of 21 found this review helpful

The Mark of Cain

The pub, the bar, the old watering hole: it's where all the animals gather at the end of the day, but that also includes the predators. I met a gal with the nickname of "Lou". Lou challenged me to arm wrestle and beat me two out of three, and me being a weightlifter and wrestler in high school. But in all fairness, I was distracted by the tattoos of bleeding skulls and naked women rippling down her biceps.

Tattooing is becoming much more commonplace and mainstream in today's society. It used to be that very few women got tattoos. Those that did were the exception and usually a touch eccentric and rebellious, not to mention being able to hold their liquor. All that changed in the late 80's when tattooing became much more socially acceptable, largely due to the many celebrities who publically sported tattoos. In the fall of 2006, a study was completed by the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, which found that 24% of Americans who were between the ages of 18 and 50 had a tattoo. This is almost one in four people in the United States, including women.

Throughout human history, we have deliberately and permanently marked our skin. Tattoos have served as rites of passage, marks of religious and spiritual devotion, decorations of bravery, punishment, talismans of protection, to identify oneself with a particular group or gang, and as the marks of outcasts, slaves and convicts. Today, most people choose to be tattooed for cosmetic and sentimental reasons. No matter the reason - tattoos are forms of expression that carry meaning.

Perhaps you are thinking of getting a tattoo like my drinking buddy "Lou", and you don't know where to start. I recommend checking out The Tattoo Encyclopedia: A Guide To Choosing Your Tattoo by Terisa Green with illustrations by Greg James. This illustrated reference book has entries on the origins and meanings of nearly one thousand tattoo symbols that can serve as your guide for choosing a personally significant tattoo.

For people contemplating a tattoo, the choices can be overwhelming. Do you get a tiger, a dragon, or is a 13 * better suited for your current situation? Maybe a butterfly, flower, or cartoon character is more your style. Tattoos can be rich in symbolism or whimsical fashion statements. The Tattoo Encyclopedia presents concise descriptions of symbols both common and unusual, and provides information on their historic, religious, and cultural significance.

Most people and most cultures do associate tattoos with some deeper meaning. They can be an outward sign of inner transformation, an appeal to the forces of fortune, or a declaration of love, loyalty, or sometimes even hatred. They are reminders of events both grim and uplifting -- a glimpse into our past and the events and experiences that have shaped us. I'm thinking of getting a tattoo of the Phoenix, the mythological bird that rises from the ashes. I know I can beat "Lou", and I'm going to challenge her to a rematch. Right after I pay for the next round...

5 out of 5 stars

A must have! February 21, 2004
18 out of 19 found this review helpful

This is a fantastic resource for anybody who's thinking about getting a tattoo. In fact, I would go so far as to say that you shouldn't get a tattoo without reading this book. You can look up tattoo symbols by name, by type, or just thumb through the whole thing looking at all the fantastic illustrations. I bought the book when I decided the time had come to take the tattoo plunge, but realized I had no idea what design I would want or would look good. This book helped me choose a design I would never have thought of by myself. Even if you're not considering a tattoo yourself, the entries make for fascinating reading. Every tattoo shop should have one of these! I'm waiting for the sequel on jewelry!

2 out of 5 stars

Marginally helpful for the neophyte February 3, 2006
15 out of 18 found this review helpful

Yet another mediocre book on the art of tattooing. If you're looking for in-depth coverage of tattooing, its origins, processes, etc...you're out of luck. If you're looking for good pictures of interesting artwork...you're out of luck.

However, if you're the typical college kid interested in skimming the surface of this art and searching for inspiration other than the ubiquitous butterfly on your lower back or "tribal" design (being that most tribal designs are not, in fact, truly tribal) around your bicep, this book may indeed help you out a little.

I posit a great tattoo book has not yet been written, but at least this author gives modest blurbs (we'll not discuss the butchering of the English language) regarding some of the images rather than throwing yet another book chock-full of uninspired flash with nary a word to read.

5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Resource November 2, 2005
14 out of 17 found this review helpful

This book puts a lot of information together in one place and is something that anybody who wants a tattoo would want to have. Lots of images and tons of different symbols make this a real reference book. You can find classic tattoo symbols like the Crawling Panther but it also has stuff like Om and lots of variations on a theme (different kinds of crosses, animals, etc.). It gets you thinking about all the different tattoos that there are to choose from. I also just enjoyed reading the various facts from all over the world. I bought this book together with "Ink" and they make a nice pair.

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