Tattoo is a human activity that lasted for thousands of years. The earliest recorded tattoo comes from the ice man that lived 3000 thousand years ago. With its long history, tattoo is always endowed with mysterious sense. With the development of tattoo machines, tattoo has made its way to the popular culture. It is said that about three in ten Americans have at least one tattoo.

This book starts with the history and culture of Polynesian tattoo, the most ancient and profound style of tattoo and the one that most well recorded among tribal tattoos. Following the chronological order, Japanese tattoo and American traditional tattoo will be introduced consecutively in the following chapters. Going down the time line, the book will elaborate how tattoo is influenced by the greater culture and the individuals involved. Besides, this book includes a large number of tattoo works of various styles and inspiring interviews with renowned tattoo artists from all over the world.