Occasionally a book is published that reveals a subculture you never dreamt existed. More rarely, that book goes on to become a phenomenon of its own. The 2004 publication of the Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia was such a phenomenon, spawning two further volumes and alerting a fascinated readership worldwide to the extraordinary and hermetic world of Russian criminal tattoos (David Cronenberg, for example, made regular use of the Encyclopaedia during the making of his 2007 movie Eastern Promises). Now, Fuel has reprinted volume one of this bestselling series, whose first edition already fetches considerable sums online. 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 a prison attendant named 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 armor, 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. With a foreword by Danzig Baldaev, and an introduction by Alexei Plutser-Sarno, exploring the symbolism of the Russian criminal tattoo.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By aMY
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I bought this book as a christmas gift for my Uncle. He has several Tattoo books (historical) and this one was a great addition. It is a 3 part series and Vollume 2 is extremely hard to find unless you buy at auction or 'used' for a couple of hundred dollars.
Finding parts 1 and 3 for 20.00 was a steal! I'd reccomend this for anyones collection!
Finding parts 1 and 3 for 20.00 was a steal! I'd reccomend this for anyones collection!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Hunyadi
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Eye opening into the culture of Russia and it's underground language of tattooing. In America, tattoos are seen as freedom of expression and the free-natured thought. In Russia, it's a rite of passage and one's personal history written on their bodies. The hand tattoos sysmbolize is the most interesting. Explains a lot about the tattoos seen in the movie "Eastern Promises."
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is the first volume of three of the finest Russian prison tattoos that you can find. Very graphic and unrestricted. I recommend to any enthusiast!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as used as I'd hoped
I was trying to find a used book that actually looked used. The seller described it as being in "acceptable" condition, and it was extremely acceptable. Read more
Published 5 days ago by Michael Papich
5.0 out of 5 stars
Russian criminal tattoo book Vol.1
love this book! I find it very interesting what tattoo's mean in the Russian criminal world. This book is awesome!
Published 1 month ago by Carly
5.0 out of 5 stars
book on crimminal tattoos
Bought this for a friend who has everything and is obsessed with tattoos. I figured criminal tattoo's in Russia can't be something they own.
Published 1 month ago by Laura Lynn Fink
3.0 out of 5 stars
This is a really enclyclopedia, seriously
I love tattoo art and when I read about this book on Uncrate's website I was very intrigued. I expected diagrams and lots of elaborate symbolism and cool art/ history. Read more
Published 2 months ago by ZKR
3.0 out of 5 stars
good content, average quality printing
Content is as good as I expected, but the quality of paper is quite poor. Not a cafe table book.
Published 3 months ago by Pablo Fazio
5.0 out of 5 stars
awesome
this book covers the topic in more detail than any other I have ever seen. A definite must have for anyone interested in tattoo history
Published 3 months ago by attatt
4.0 out of 5 stars
Riveting
Christmas present for son-in-law. Luckily it came wrapped in plastic otherwise I would have read and looked at the pictures. Once in was open we all were looking through it. Read more
Published 4 months ago by V. heffron
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cool Book , Great Photos
I ordered this for my significant other during Christmas. I thought it looked really cool ! I wasn't disappointed either. The book ( Vol. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Michelle Sears
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic
Chances are, if you're here, you already have an idea of what this book is about. So just buy it. It's totally worth it and a must have for any library that includes cool stuff. Read more
Published 4 months ago by amye
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun to read
I wish there was a little more explanation on some of the tatts, but a lot of the stories are interesting. I use this as a coffee table book, not a cover to cover read.
Published 4 months ago by Trevor Duke
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