"Inspirational sourcebook of one of the most popular types of body art today. With almost 5000 years of history, tattoos have been updated, renewed and adapted at a much faster rate than other similar artistic expressions. Present in cultures and times as diverse as Ancient Egypt, 10th century Japan Borneo and Java in the 18th century and of course, Modern Western culture, tattoos have been banned and encouraged, they ahve adopted ritual meanings or they have been considered as simple decorative elements, they have been associated with privileged castes in society or the world of crime.... This book is a faithful testimony of this, as it combines dozens of pieces of work from the most outstanding international tattoo artists, those who have used the human body as a canvas for their work." Illustrated throughout