This is an in-depth study of tattoo culture and contemporary tattoo history through fine art paintings. It contains photographs, paintings and essays chronicling a six-year living journal.

A new set of striking, elegant flash from Stizzo, owner of Best of Times Tattoo, who continues his dedication to the tradition and craft of tattooing. Highly detailed, thoughtfully coloured and shaded, Stizzo's flash is hand drawn and painted, finding its inspiration from past artists and Italy's rich artistic history. The classic symbols of skulls, roses, snakes, daggers, ships, eagles, and more are reinterpreted through a modern master's lens -- while time and space morphs, these icons remain central to how we represent ourselves. Inspiration for artists as well as enthusiasts, this shows the possibility of respecting and maintaining tradition while growing and challenging yourself as an artist. Includes a section of black-and-white flash, showing how the traditional style can be carried out without colour.

Wrapping in Images is the first comparative analysis of tattooing in Polynesia in its original setting, based on a comprehensive survey of both written and visual documentary sources. Drawing on modern social theory, psychoanalysis, and contemporary anthropology, Alfred Gell shows how tattooing formed part of a complex array of symbolic techniques for controlling sacredness and protecting the self. He uses this framework to examine the iconographic meaning of tattoo motifs, the rich corpus of mythology surrounding tattooing in some Polynesian societies, and the complex rituals associated with the tattoing operation. he also demonstrates how not all ancient Polynesian societies placed an equal emphasis on tattooing, or exploited the basic metaphors in the same way. Gell's wide-ranging, comparative political analysis shows consistent correlations between forms of political structure and different tattooing institutions, offering a new perspective on Polynesian comparative sociology.

From choosing style and placement to finding the right artist to ensuring safety and proper care (and even correcting or removing unwanted body art), Miller covers not only tattoos and piercings but a variety of alternative body modifications.