The Tattoo Encyclopedia : A Guide to Choosing Your Tattoo [Paperback]

Terisa Green (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 2003

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.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Skipping the technical details of how to get a tattoo, Green's catalog delves into the fascinating realm of why people get tattoos and what images they choose. After an introduction sketching the history of skin art, Green, an archaeologist and UCLA research associate, launches into an alphabetical encyclopedia with a collection of common tattoo symbols under each letter. She offers an illustration of the symbols and describes the meaning and symbolism behind each. For example, a hammer suggests "might, activity, and brute force." The book also explains more obscure tattoos, such as the number 13, which stands for the thirteenth letter of the alphabet (M) and is sometimes used in lieu of a marijuana leaf; and a sunflower, which represents constancy. Green covers some 800 images, from acorn ("an ancient representation of life and birth") to Zuni fetish (a popular Native American symbol).
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Terisa Green, Ph.D., is an archaeologist and research associate at the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology at UCLA. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Original edition (July 29, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743223292
• ISBN-13: 978-0743223294
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #604,588 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Virtually useless, October 16, 2005

By 

Bianchi Joe (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tattoo Encyclopedia : A Guide to Choosing Your Tattoo (Paperback)

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.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have!, February 20, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Tattoo Encyclopedia : A Guide to Choosing Your Tattoo (Paperback)

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!

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Marginally helpful for the neophyte, February 2, 2006

By 

Raison Detre (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tattoo Encyclopedia : A Guide to Choosing Your Tattoo (Paperback)

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.