[.uk] Japanese Tattoo (ISBN 0834802287)

great book!:
if you're interested in japanese tattooing and are relatively new to this subject: do get this book. it is written in an easily understandable manner and covers numerous subjects: history, tradition, psychology, meanings of motives, etc. the photographs included (there are quite a few of them) could have been done better, but they are nice to look at nevertheless.

an addition to the review from 18 august 1999.:
i fully agree with the reviewer from 18 august 1999, and would simply like to add the following. if you are interested in looking at (photographs of) japanese tattoos rather than reading about them, or are looking for that kind of book in addition to this one, then i can only recommend sandi fellman's "the japanese tattoo". large format photographs, beautifully printed on good quality paper, showing works of some of the greatest japanese tattoo masters. if you'd like to just get a bit of more general information on japanese tattooing and its backgrounds: there is a chapter, written by the great don ed hardy, covering this subject in the book "pierced hearts and true love", out on hardy marks publications. beware: there are hardly any photographs in "pierced hearts..."; but there are some other interesting articles in it. (check my separate review for it.)