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Organised in a convenient A-Z format, cross-referenced, indexed and illustrated with 300 pieces of authentic tattoo line art, the book features a stunning array of images from ancient Buddhist and Chinese designs to those sported by twenty-first century bikers.
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Home » Tattoo Books » The Tattoo Encyclopedia : A Guide to Choosing Your Tattoo
Available in 
Available in The Tattoo Encyclopedia : A Guide to Choosing Your Tattoo
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.
Features
- ISBN13: 9780743223294
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
My son loves this book, he is learning so much he did not know about tattoo’s. The pictures have given him new idea’s too on what to do to pictures that he said were not done yet that were missing something.
This is a great book for anyone looking to get a tattoo. It covers all the basics of symbolism of major images and themes seen in tattoos. It has a lot of entries, but I wish there was more in-depth entries! At least they give a good over-view of each entry so you could look up more about it on your own. Not as many pictures as I would like – but its an inexpensive book so really I can’t complain!
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 ½* 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…
If your thinking about getting a tattoo but don’t know where to begin this is the book for you. Everything has a meaning or sometimes several. Find out what the symbols, animals, and flowers all mean. Genie – Change
Bomb – Strength
A great book you will find yourself refering back to several times.
I had previusly bought and read Ink, from the same author (book that I highly recomend for people new to tattoing like me) and I was thrill to receive this book, though, I must admit, at lest it gives you some structure to determine a bit closely what you want, but the collection itself is not as big as I would have liked, and most of them you can see them on any tattoo shop.
I loaned this book to a friend, and she kept it when she moved. It is worth re-purchasing because it gives some meaning to some of the designs out there. While not all of the descriptions are useful, and the drawings included are not at all what I would want permanently on me, I have used the explanations as a springboard for some of my more meaningful pieces. It’s worth checking out if you want to know about more obscure designs.
there is not much to this book a few pictures and mild reading rather informative yet not as much help as popup books would have been.
I picked up this book a while ago second hand on a college campus because of my interest in tattoos as well as symbology (apologies to Willam DaFoe). The book has given me some ideas for new ink as well as clarified some misconceptions about ancient Christian symbology.
There were a few connections the author made that seemed to be stretching it, but I would absolutely recommend this book!
This book give you a good idea of what the symbols represent.
I bought this book hoping it would tell me about what certain tattoos say about the people who get them. All this book does is give short, undramtic and plain historical references to cetain symbols, and of no value to me or anyone else. Don’t buy this book; it won’t capture your interest for 10 minutes.
I first saw this book at a tattoo shop. I started looking up all my tattoos and found that I was actually right about most of them! I bought one and haven’t been able to put it down. If you’re looking for some big bang for your buck, you can not go wrong here! Since I had already seen a copy, I knew exactly what I was getting. There’s about one drawing for every 3 or 4 entries. The entries are short but enough to let you know if you should be getting that tat or not.
There are no photographs in this book. There are black and white drawings illustrating SOME of the ideas in this book.
This book is really about the MEANINGS of various images. As an example, under MOOSE it talks about where they live, the fact that moose are strong swimmers, talks about antlers. I suppose the point is letting a person know the background to what they are getting. Not the first place I would look for this type of info.
My patrons want lots of colors photos. This book does not get a lot of use.
This book has helped me find the right tattoo. Since it’s a permanent thing, I think that’s important.
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.
Book was informative,but,I think people need to see more pictures of the designs when they are choosing a tatoo.
Serious information about the simbolism, but with pour images.
a good book to read,not to see…
I love this book…It helped me find and create my very first tattoo. Its super informative and entertaining to learn about all the different symbols and art that has been used in tattoo art for centuries. so if your looking to score some body art soon or become more informed on what you want use this book to widen your eyes to the millions of artsy possibilities.
I’ve been tattooing for over 20 years…not a novice at this business of tattoos! Found this book at our library and rushed to buy my own for the shop. This book is fascinating and informative. Nice, concise and fun!! I highly recommend shop owners get a copy to have around when those know-it-all’s come in with their off the wall ‘new’ ideas.
Bought it used but even at full price it’s great!!
One reviewer complained it didn’t give info on how-to….hey, get an apprenticeship folks and DO IT RIGHT. A doctor doesn’t learn brain surgery by buying a scapel and practicing on his friends, huh?? This business can kill you if you’re uneducated.
(and nice job, Greg, the illustrations are fun!!)
This book has it all! If you want to get a tattoo that everybody else in the world doesn’t already have, read through it. I’m using it to design my own.
The Tattoo Encyclopedia isn’t so much about tattoos as the symbolism of tattoo images. Don’t read it looking for a huge amount of history or techniques.
While some entries are fascinating just for their own sakes(Aegishjalmar, Pazyryk Stag), the phrasing is often awkward and redundant.
The entry on Beethoven contains nearly all the problems found in the book. I do not imagine this is a very common tattoo. Second, if someone recognized him from a tattoo, they likely know enough about him not to need to look him up. Third, as there is no picture of him in the entry, I doubt those that do not know who he is would find much use from the entry in identifying a Beethoven tattoo.
Last, that entry contains the following sentence: “He was one of the foremost and most popular composers and virtuoso pianists of his day and is still arguably considered by some the greatest composer who ever lived.”
Sentences like this (although most not as bad) are in nearly every entry. With its needless wordiness and occasional inexplicable entry (Trout?), it feels padded. A 288 page encyclopedia (and not a very complete one) should not feel padded.
I would have preferred a picture for every entry, and that the ones in the book be of actual tattoos instead of illustrations. As it is, the illustrations are sparse.
Worth reading for the occasional interesting entry, but be prepared for some wince-worthy phrasing.
If your going to get a small tattoo of a symbol, then this is a good book…In Japan and here in Hawaii we tattoo large areas of the body…Personally I like tattooing an area of the body that one can cover when you go to work or a social engagement…However, I like the idea of one being able to show the tattoo by slightly moving their cloths while doing something…I’ve been a professional tattoo artist for forteen years…If you want some help deciding on what to get, send me a message at stylingtattoos at yahoo dot com.
The images on the cover of the book are more interesting that those inside. While the dictionary definitions of many symbols are interesting, there are few images to go along with them, and those that are included are mostly crudely hand drawn. Personally, I was looking for precise images to work off and found little help here. If you are looking for verbage to accompany a design, this is pretty good. If you are looking for a design with verbage, save your money for another.
If you’re looking for a book filled with color pictures and image ideas for your next tattoo, then you may want to consider looking elsewhere. However, if you want to get more of a historical background on the various images and symbols used in tattoo art throughout the ages then you won’t be disappointed. The “Tattoo Encyclopedia” is an interesting catalog of all the world images, symbols and designs used in tattoo art throughout the centuries. While most of the entries are just a few sentences long, it gives facinating trivia on a wide variety of images from Chinese Dragons to the Illuminati to the Claddagh to the Triskelion. It would have been nice to have pictures accompanying all the entries but I guess that would be asking a bit too much. Useful strictly as a reference book and not as a book on design, the “Tattoo Encyclopedia” is a good buy for those curious about the origins and meanings of tattoo symbols.