Until you’ve consumed all of the best Tattoo books, can you even claim to be a true fan?
- Tattoo Lettering Bible (2014)
- Tattoo Johnny: 3,000 Tattoo Designs (2010)
- 1000 Tattoos: The Most Creative New Designs from the World’s Leading and Up-And-Coming Tattoo Artists (2018)
- The History Source Book (2000)
- Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion (2011)
- Tattoo Sourcebook (2008)
- Basic Fundamentals of Modern Tattoo (2009)
- Superior Tattoo Bible: Book Three (2013)
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium Series) (2011)
- Vintage Tattoos: The Book of Old-School Skin Art (2009)
- Sacred and Profane Tattoos: of the Holy House of Loreto (2018)
- 100 Years of Tattoos (2016)
- Great Book of Tattoo Designs, Revised Edition: More than 500 Body Art Designs (Fox Chapel Publishing) Fantasy, Celtic, Floral, Wildlife, and Symbol Designs for the Skin from the Legendary Lora Irish (2013)
- Superior Tattoo Bible: Book One (Tattoo U,) (2009)
- Tattoo Coloring Book (2013)
Tattoo Lettering Bible (2014)
The newest installment of the “Superior Tattoo Bible” series has been in the works for a while since we have amassed countless lettering submissions throughout the years. With an exponential number of tattoo designs that include lettering, we thought it time to come out with an entire book devoted to letters and banners.
Tattoo Johnny: 3,000 Tattoo Designs (2010)
These days, it seems like everybody—male, female, young, and old—wants a tattoo. But choosing the right design isn’t always easy. Tattoo Johnny to the rescue!
1000 Tattoos: The Most Creative New Designs from the World’s Leading and Up-And-Coming Tattoo Artists (2018)
New works from over forty of the most ground breaking and up-and-coming tattoo designers are featured in this highly curated collection. Aimed at profiling the next generation of skin art, the selected artists are at the forefront of where tattoo art is going and display a wide degree of diversity in terms of geographic origin, culture, race, and gender.Among the artists and designers included are are Scott Campbell, Sasha Unisex, Tea Leigh, Johnny Gloom, Tati Compton (a.k.a.
The History Source Book (2000)
is an exhaustingly thorough, lavishly illustrated collection of historical records of tattooing throughout the world, from ancient times to the present. Collected together in one place, for the first time, are texts by explorers, journalists, physicians, psychiatrists, anthropologists, scholars, novelists, criminologists, and tattoo artists.
Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion (2011)
For twenty years, Gregory Boyle has run Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention program located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, the gang capital of the world. In Tattoos on the Heart, he distills his experience working in the ghetto into a breathtaking series of parables inspired by faith.
Tattoo Sourcebook (2008)
A lush sourcebook of nearly two thousand tattoo designs from artists around the world. From the editors of TattooFinder, it’s a fantastic compendium for people who want to think before they ink! Whether you’re tattoo-curious or tattoo-crazy, The Tattoo Sourcebook has everything you need to pick and choose the perfect design for you.
Basic Fundamentals of Modern Tattoo (2009)
This book wont teach you how to tattoo like a professional. This book wont teach you how to make a million dollars by opening your own tattoo studio in a week. You should really be wary of any book that does promise that. This book WILL get you started with the basic foundation for your apprenticeship. Written for the apprentice by someone who competed a formal tattoo apprenticeship, documenting the lessons learned along the way.
Superior Tattoo Bible: Book Three (2013)
Book Three of the popular Superior Tattoo Bible series continues the tradition of offering a vast collection of only the best tattoo artwork available. Unlike the earlier Bibles, Tattoo Bible Book Three is a collection of designs from opposite ends of the spectrum. This new book contains images from both the old school and the new.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium Series) (2011)
Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pierced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption.
Vintage Tattoos: The Book of Old-School Skin Art (2009)
Tattoos have gone from badges of rebellion to fashion statements fully absorbed into mainstream culture. They are enjoying a renaissance, with graphic designers and artists creating specialty tattoos for a growing audience, unleashing a revival of interest in the bawdy vintage tattoo. Old school tattoos are being rediscovered (sometimes ironically, sometimes not) by a new generation.
Sacred and Profane Tattoos: of the Holy House of Loreto (2018)
Around the 15th and lasted until the beginning of the 20th century, on the Italian Adriatic coast to the Apennines, the sacred tattoo began to spread. The inhabitants and pilgrims of these lands had the use of tattooing their hands or forearms near their wrists. They were blue tattoos of figures, mottos, crosses, sacred symbols, pierced hearts, skulls and anchors. The origins of this tradition came from the Sanctuary of Loreto, probably it was an act of devotion or perhaps recognition.
100 Years of Tattoos (2016)
Over the past century, tattoos have emerged from the underground.
Great Book of Tattoo Designs, Revised Edition: More than 500 Body Art Designs (Fox Chapel Publishing) Fantasy, Celtic, Floral, Wildlife, and Symbol Designs for the Skin from the Legendary Lora Irish (2013)
500 beautiful images—designed for skin! From the nationally recognized artist, author, and graphic designer Lora S. Irish comes the Great Book of Tattoo Designs, an appealing and high-quality collection of over 500 tattoo-friendly patterns.
Superior Tattoo Bible: Book One (Tattoo U,) (2009)
Whether you are preparing for your first tattoo or your twenty-seventh, you need artwork and designs that are just-right. Tattoo Bible Book One, authored by Superior Tattoo, provides more than 500 pieces of unique flash art. Everything is here, from hearts to dragons, tattoo designs that range from traditional to the avant-garde. Tattoo Bible includes flash never before compiled in one single book.
Tattoo Coloring Book (2013)
Packed with stunning illustrations, this unique coloring book celebrates the art of the tattoo. The tattoo designs – all specially drawn for the book – range from traditional motifs – hearts, sailors, girls, skulls, roses – to more elaborate compositions with a contemporary edge.A perfect gift book that will appeal to anyone who loves tattoo imagery – or is looking for inspiration for their next piece of body art.
Best Tattoo Books That Will Hook You
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Library Genesis and download some tattoo books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
A Tattoo on my Brain: A Neurologist's Personal Battle against Alzheimer's Disease
Author(s): Daniel Gibbs, Teresa H. Barker
ID: 3524216, Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Year: 2023, Size: 3 Mb, Format: pdf
Tattooed Bodies: Theorizing Body Inscription Across Disciplines and Cultures
Author(s): James Martell, Erik Larsen
ID: 3197895, Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan, Year: 2022, Size: 6 Mb, Format: pdf
Under the Skin: Tattoos, Scalps, and the Contested Language of Bodies in Early America
Author(s): Mairin Odle
ID: 3313808, Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Year: 2022, Size: 21 Mb, Format: epub
Please note that this booklist is not definite. Some books are absolutely best-sellers according to The Wall Street Journal, others are written by unknown writers. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant books you could recommend? Drop a comment if you have any feedback on the list.