Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volume II Hardcover – June 1, 2006

The symbolism in these is incredible.

Very intriguing and interesting I read the first and enjoyed it so I bought all three volumes and this one didn’t disappoint theirs lots of photos of the tattoos on individuals as well as copies the author made of the prisoners tattoos which are perfectly drawn an exact copy of the originals and they have the description of the tattoo as well as when and where they were copied at and sometimes why and how some of them you wish would have a bit more explanation but 90% are sufficient in their explanations if you have an interest in crime, Russian organized crime, prison culture,the gulags, tattoos, or specifically Russian prison tattoos and their meanings I think you’ll enjoy them as much as I do

The book material is of the best quality and also behind the soft paper cover there is a hard cover with a very stylistic and original touch to it. The content is a real and deep journey into the depths of russian criminal tattoo subculture that is almost a world on its own. The thrilling details and the abstract symbolisms are a definite 'food for thought' even for the trained reader. I highly recommend it for Russia enthusiasts and especially for the 'digging deep' tattoo artist.To add in this volume you can find even more details about the many photographs and their background as well as the detentions centers or penal colonies that decorate the scenery of the stories. Really amazing

This volume must have gone out of print earlier than I or III, as I recall it being prohibitively expensive when I bought the others several years back. I'm glad it's available again, as I found the non-pictorial content here far surpassed that available in the other volumes. The map of the camps made me instantly realize why Solzhenitsyn named his masterpiece "The Gulag Archipelago".Be forewarned that the body art reproduced here could be considered very offensive by some as well as pornographic.

I really enjoyed reading the history and stories. The images are well done. Worth buying if you appreciate art and history

Shipped quickly and really excited to get this product for my boyfriend. Evidently there were not many prints in the past few years so I couldn't get the next volume in the set for him (it was running around $130) Really excited to see more prints out and a reasonable price. Product came new in plastic wrap, he loved it!

Great refrence work and good history got all 3 books after ordering the first . Some very risque content explicit content

My son-on-law is a graphics design professional artist and also has interest in tattoo design though he does not even have a single tattoo himself. These books were on his wish list and they complete the 3-book set. He loves them.