Can body decoration be art? Are tattoos meaningful? What are the main tattoo styles? How have tattoos been regarded in history? What characterises a good tattoo? What determines the price of a tattoo? This book will help to answer these and many other questions. It is a useful read for those who are thinking of getting their first tattoo, but unsure where to begin, but also those who are deeply fascinated with tattoo culture. If your bookshelves can fit only one comprehensive book about tattooing, ‘The Ultimate Guide to tattoo Culture’ should be considered as a candidate.
Author Riho Paramonov: ‘As I was finishing the book, I started to wonder—if this book was a tattoo, what kind of a tattoo would it be? At first, I couldn’t think of a good answer, but then it occurred to me that maybe it would be Trash Polka. Just like a Trash Polka tattoo, this book is eclectic, i.e., composed of parts that are usually kept apart. There are only a few books that deal with the history, cultural background as well as practical issues of tattooing. Usually, books are about either one or the other, depending on the author’s background. Trash Polka enables an interesting play of meanings, and meanings play an important part also in this book.’