Tattoos: The Untold History of a Modern Art

by Matt Lodder

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

Published December 3, 2024

Reviews

[Ashley London · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super interesting book, and I recommend it to tatto enthusiasts. It doesn't get a full 5 stars because it was shallow in a couple of places where I wanted more information. For example, in the history section of tattooing. It mentions, tantalizes, and then leaves you hanging. Also, it leaves out female tattoo artists. Is it because they didn't exist? Or because the search for the history was lazy? I don't know.

[Fredrika · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover and subtitle of this book are entirely misleading. It’s about the white-male-centric history of tattooing in the US and UK. Skimmed it. Back to the library it goes.

[Tutankhamun18 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tattoos: The Untold History of a Modern Art by Matt Lodder is his second book about the history of Western tattooing and its illustrated! I hate the cover but the inside is great. Varying levels of detail, this is more like a number of anecdotes into the history of western tattooing than any kind of complete look or thematic focus. liked his first book more, but this is also brilliant.

[Reynolds]

I’ve read a LOT of books on the history and culture of tattooing and this is one of the best. It is, incidentally, a couple of notches above his first book, Painted People. His podcast “Beneath the Skin” is also a great source of information on the history and culture of tattooing. Thank god for Matt Lodder.

[Ben Schilling · Rating 4 out of 5]

The photographs in the book absolutely make it.