High Voltage Tattoo Hardcover – January 20, 2009

All the other reviews are spot on. I would like to comment on the actual BOOK (construction) itself, as well as some of the content.I, being un-inked (but now am considering a small piece), was surprised at how good Kat's show was when I first started watching it during the first show, the first season. I'm hooked, and plan to watch until it isn't made anymore.How could anyone so young be so ... what's the word I'm grasping for? ... "together"?!This young woman is absolutely AMAZING! She dumped herself out onto her kitchen table, sorted thru everything, then plunked it into this book. She is what she seems and nothing else, yet she's multi-faceted and super talented.She found her passion at a very young age and has never let go of it. (Go Kat!) Yes, it has transformed/morphed into different versions throughout her young lifetime, but it's STILL THERE.To me it seems as if Kat was meant to be famous. She thinks nothing of it, yet utilizes it to help others. She's selfless and caring yet this book doesn't brag, it just informs. She's respectful (and in awe) of her colleagues, yet happy to be at the level of excellence she's currently at while continually honing her skills.The artwork showcased in this book doesn't stop at the individual tattoo artist's work ... no! The beauty of the book ITSELF is mind-blowing!Each and every detail was carefully considered. It is a classy printed version of (what seems like) a handmade scrapbook.The cover is padded hardcover. Believe it or not, the book actually feels like it BELONGS sitting in your hand!Each page is printed to look old and worn, and the printing goes all the way to the edge. The illustrated capital letter on almost every page is gothic, yet elegant and beautiful (calligraphers rejoice!). The calligraphy interspersed throughout is breathtaking. The photos are clear, sharp, crisp, like you are actually looking at the person's skin.All of the background history is short and sweet, easy to read, yet multi-dimensional. Not one bit of info included could be considered useless.The intro and outro were obviously handwritten in red ink by Kat with her favorite pen (corrections and all).The forward by Nikki Sixx ... WOW! This guy gets her. He's got the gift of words. And it's very cool to see the artwork Kat did on him.I pre-ordered it and got it very quickly (Thanks Amazon!). I have read it all the way thru twice now (in only 2 days), and have shown things to my husband (who doesn't like to read) and he has read a lot more of it than I thought he would. And, no, he's NOT just looking at the pictures!I have a nice place reserved for this book on our coffee table - and I guarantee that the faux distressing of the pages won't be faux for long!Kat, if you are reading this, THANK YOU. What a beautiful piece of artwork to grace our home, as well as a heartfelt autobiography! And who knows ... I may make the trip from NJ to LA to acquire my very first tattoo! Congratulations, and best wishes for your continued success.

Just like the other reviewer, I didn't know what to expect when I ordered this book. I actually came across her 2nd book, Tattoo Chronicle and then I realized that she has this book out first. I went to Amazon and bought this book for $19. I absolutely love it! I already love tattoo to begin with. I only have a few but I am fascinated by the story and meaning behind each and every tattoo. I was dying to find out what her story was about each one.I got this book Saturday afternoon and started reading it the following day. It was sooooo interesting to me that I was done by Wednesday. I do think that it is because it has a lot of pictures and graphics of the tattoo that made it super easy to read. The first part of the book is basically about Kat Von D's life. How she ran away and met this boy named James and fell in love. Who she came across in order to start tattooing. A little bit about her family and her Latina roots.The middle part of her book is about the tattoos on her body. She didn't really go into detail about each and every single one of her tattoo, I was sort of disappointed in that. I was looking forward to know and understand why she put so many tattoo on her body. Why she had chosen this particular placement and design. I realized that maybe it wasn't as meaningful as I was hoping that each of her tattoo to be. Either way, it was very nice to be able to see the close up of her tattoo instead of just a big black and grey blur. And she also tell you which one hurts the most which I was literally laughing out loud about.Then she tells you a little bit about her love for music, why she likes Ludwig Van Beethoven. Although she didn't get into detail about why she would have 7 tattoos of Ludwig Van Beethoven, it just proves that music means that much to her. Then her book talks a little bit about the tattoo machines and some of the very famous tattoo artists work and where you can find them all over the world.It was very easy to read where I didn't think she was trying to be someone she's not. A lot of people think that just because she is heavily tattooed doesn't make her any less feminine or beautiful. She likes her music and she knows them well. She likes her make up and she knows that well too. I personally think she is beautiful. And if you like tattoo, wants to know about tattoo, like to look at some really awesome tattoos, I would recommend getting this book. As soon as I was done, I had 3 people asking me to lend it to them. Even though I was kind of selfish and didn't want to share my brand new book that I just bought and just finished reading, I figured I should let them see why I think Kat Von D is beautiful. Of course, that is just in my opinion~

I spent a very enjoyable evening with this book. As is appropriate for a book on tattoos and a tattoo artist, this book is a visual feast. There are pictures of tattoos, but also family photos and creative odds and ends. The cover even has the padded feel of the photo albums I remember from my childhood. From what I understand about the author, she is a perfectionist, and it shows in the layout and the aesthetic. I can't remember the last time I read a book so colorful and pretty, outside of an illustrated fairytale book.If you want a book about tattoos and the stories around them, and most good tattoos tell something about what the person wearing them values, this is a great book on just that. What I find interesting about Kat Von D's personal tattoos is what it says about her daring nature. She has a "yearbook" leg where friends, professional and non-professional alike, are allowed to leave a message -- and that's either very brave or very dumb, and Ms. Von D doesn't seem dumb. There are many other stories contained in the book about why people select the tattoos they do, and since the author specializes in portraits, these tales are evocative and made the reader/viewer reflect on the people she's loved, some of whom are gone, and what snapshot or moment in time is worth capturing.Very nicely done!