Nearly 650 images of tattoos and motifs from cultures of Africa, Asia, South and North America, and the Pacific.

Tattoos have played an important role in human culture for thousands of years. Ideal for the tattoo artist, anthropologist, or tattoo fan, this visual lexicon covers tattoos from hundreds of different cultures and lists meanings, reasons for wearing, and rites of passage and indicates placement for thousands of individual tattoos.

Complete with nearly 650 illustrations, the book breaks down the symbology of these tattoos, indicating the origin and significance of motifs from tattoo cultures that still exist and those that have been lost to history. The breadth and depth of this information serve to inspire today’s tattoo artist and expand the knowledge of this ancient and global phenomenon.