Once a fringe phenomenon, tattooing is now a full—blown cultural fact. More than 40 million people in the U.S. alone have tattoos, all with unique stories about why they chose to indelibly mark their bodies. Permanence combines photographic tattoo portraits with these stories, told in the subjects' own words and handwriting. Kip Fulbeck brings together young and old of all races, religions, and political persuasions—from celebrities

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A father tells his young son the story behind each of his tattoos.

"A sourcebook of 1,000 mini works of art, ranging in myriad styles and subjects, curated by talented tattoo artist Rebecca Vincent. Tattoo trends come and go, but tiny tattoos continue to be a fan-favorite. Whether you're into realistic depictions of animals or people, thought-provoking quotes, beautiful watercolor sceneries, and everything in between, bearing a tattoo on one's body continues to be a crucial source of creativity and the pinnacle of...

""Does it hurt?" When you're a tattoo artist, that's the most universal question. For Chris MacDonald, the answer is simple: hurts less than a broken heart. Those words are painted above the entrance to his shop, Under My Thumb Tattoos, as a reminder. Chris and his brothers were as wild as the wind, in their house among the fields of Alliston, Ontario, when their parents divorced. Shell-shocked, they were uprooted and brought to Toronto by their dad....

Tattoos have gone from a symbol of shame and isolation to a widely accepted art form all over the world. The book looks at tattoo techniques and styles, from honored religious and cultural traditions of the East to the pop-culture inspired body art of the West. Colorful images provide and interesting glimpse at unique and traditional tattoo styles as they evolve through history into what they are today.

Young men--tourists--have been disappearing on the islands of Turks and Caicos for years. Seven years ago, the first victim was found in a strange location with both hands cut off; the other visitors vanished without a trace. But, recently, tantalizing leads have emerged and only Tempe can unravel them. Maddeningly, the victims seem to have nothing in common--other than the strange locations where their bodies are eventually found, and the fact that...

"Any tattoo is the outcome of an intimate, often hidden, process. The people, bodies, and money that make tattooing what it is blend together and form a heady cocktail, something described by Matt, the owner of Oakland's Premium Tattoo, as "Blood and Lightning." Faced with the client's anticipation of pain and excitement, the tattooer must carefully perform calm authority to obscure a world of preparation and vigilance. "Blood and Lightning, my dude,"...

Drafted in to investigate a series of killings by a butcher known as the Skin Collector, NYPD detective Lincoln Rhyme and his associate Amelia Sachs have little to go on but a series of cryptic messages left etched into the skin of the deceased.

Body Type is an eye-opening look into the amazingly creative ways that tattoo artists are utilizing typography. Whereas the majority of tattoo art uses images to convey messages, here the message actually is the image. Twenty-six alphabetical characters might not seem like much to work with, but a look through these photographs reveals the contrary. Here are truly unique social commentaries, expressions of love, hilarious examples of biting satire,...

In Saintstone everyone gets tattoos recording their deeds from birth until death, and the ink lets every other citizen know your triumphs as well as your sins; so when Leora's father dies and she sees glimpses a symbol of a horrible crime on the back of his neck she is horrified, and sure it is a mistake--and in her efforts to find out the truth she discovers the lengths that Saintstone will go to preserve its "perfect" society.