Tales of the Tattooed: An Anthology of Ink

by John Miller (Editor), James Payn, T. W. Speight

Uncovering the history of the tattoo in classic fiction for the first time, this original selection depicts the tattoo as a catalyst for scandal in society, as a symbol for an unknowable supernatural force, and as transcendent living art merging the spirits of a tattooer and his or her living canvas. Featuring previously hidden works from the pages of rare literary magazines such as "The Starfish Tattoo" alongside such classics of the genre as Tanizaki's "The Tattooer" and Saki's "The Background," this exploration of the tattoo in fiction is guaranteed to leave an indelible impression.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies, Mystery, Classics, Gothic

320 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2019

About the author

John Miller is Senior Lecturer in Nineteenth-Century Literature at the University of Sheffield.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another set of short stories in the British Library Tales of the Weird series, this one about tattoos. For once the introduction is worth reading. It raises some interesting issues, explains some history (for example the Victorian vogie for women to have tattoos) and points out some issues re colonialism:

“Tattooing’s connection with Empire is complex, however. There is much more to the colonial history of tattooing than the demonisation of indigenous tattoo traditions. In contrast to Ballantyne’s blunt racism (in the novel Coral Island), the heavily tattooed Fijian harpooner Queequeg in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick from 1851is a rich and sensitively drawn character. As much as concerns about the increasing popularity of tattooing in the period operate through ideas about racial difference (and especially through the ideas of the primitive or savage), they also show the instability of nationalist ideas about the body. The umarked “normal” and implicitly white Victorian (and later) body is not a “natural” entity, but rather is an idea that needs to be constantly reinforced and insisted upon by the exclusion of “other” bodies. This makes tattooing a significant topic for a postcolonial critique of the violent and broken logic of empire.”

There are thirteen stories in all. The earliest story is 1882 and the last from the 1950s.
There’s a story from a Japanese writer and several US authors. Some are well known, like Saki and Dahl. There are less supernatural stories in this, more are odd and several are crime and underworld related. Inevitably sailors and the sea also make an appearance.
As always they are variable in quality but there are some that might leave an indelible impression (sorry, couldn’t resist that). There are some oddities, look out for the one where a leg is transplanted. The leg is tattooed and belonged to a sailor. The new owner found it trying to lead him into dodgy public houses and places of ill-repute!

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

full post here:
https://www.oddlyweirdfiction.com/201...

Admittedly, the majority of tales in this book trend less toward what I'd personally consider as weird and more toward pulpy crime fiction (albeit some with a strange edge). Given the focal point of tattoos I would have thought there would be plenty more to be found on the eerie side, so when those I'd consider weird, macabre or flat-out horrific popped up, the sheer pleasure I found in them more than paid for my copy. I did a quick reread late last night through this book, and of all of the tales within, four seemed to me to fit that bill, beginning with my favorite of them all, Tanizaki's "The Tattooer," from 1910. The other three, in order of appearance are "The Green Phial," by TW Speight, "The Tattooed Leg," by John Chilton (1919), and Roald Dahl's "Skin," from 1952. While the other tales in this book are highly entertaining, there was just something about those particular stories that jolted me quite out of my skin in different ways.

Overall, Tales of the Tattooed is yet another fine entry in the Tales of the Weird series, and I haven't found a bad book in the bunch. I have been highly impressed with the wide range of stories presented in these volumes, and whoever dreamed up the concept in the first place ought to be congratulated.

recommended.

[Undomiel Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

Individually, stories ranged from 1*-3.5*, highlights being Skin, The Tattooer, and The Starfish Tattoo.

However as a curated anthology, a huge letdown. Incredibly repetitive in that the majority of the stories were not "weird" but rather hard boiled crime noirs in which a tattoo is used to identify a criminal. As someone with tattoos, I find the history of acceptance and associations of tattoos fascinating, and would have enjoyed a few of these. However it became incredibly repetitive and annoying when nearly the entire anthology focused on just tattoos as a sign of criminality and identification in police procedures.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this as a project: collecting together a real range of stories on a theme some from famous authors, some published 100 years ago but totally unknown and obscure writers and unearthed for this collection. Obviously there's a variety of quality but they worked well side by side. Glad I picked up a stack of these at the British Library!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another superb collection of tales from the British Library Tales of the Weird, all of which revolve around tattoos in some way or form. Each tale is by a different author, each with their own style, all of which compliment each other making for a superbly enjoyable collection.

The first story, Two Delicate Cases, tells of one man's experiences being tattooed and tattooing others which shows a bit of the history of tattoos in Britain. The second story, the Green Phial, tells of how tattooing is entrenched in many cultures and where they can lead, even to riches and murder. A Marked Man tells of how tattoos can bring long lost souls back together even after more than 20 years while the next story, the Tattoo, tells of a long past love that is remembered by the reproduction of a tattoo maintaining the connection through the years. The Tattooer is an intriguing tale that inspired the cover of this collection that shows what obsession can do and create. The Background tells of an artistic genius that suffers despite their talent and ability leaving those around them as desperate and sorrowful as they. The Tattooed Leg has a certain element of dark humour about it as a wealthy man find himself the bearer of a new appendage that comes with certain changes in his demeanor, which hint at the possibility of wealth and riches. Branded tells of high society and how they treated tattoo artists as an odd form of exotic entertainment that ends up turning against them as one is nearly caught out in a difficult situation. The next story, the Tattooed Eye, is full of intrigue and mystery and the use of tattoos in a sneaky yet impressively clever manner that ultimately leads to their undoing. The Starfish Tattoo is a clever tale that follows two men on very different paths tied together by one tattoo. The Secret Tattoo is a great tale that starts of with a particularly disturbing scene where a man kills a dog in order to break in to another's house, but all does not end as he hoped and his first act comes back to haunt him. The Tattooed Card is a superb story of interwoven hidden identities and lives that revolve around injustice and secrecy while the last story, Skin, is a masterpiece of the macabre as a living canvas finds himself the beneficiary of the art on his back, or does he?

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was like ordering chocolate ice cream, but getting strawberry instead. Both flavors are good in and of themselves, but I didn't order strawberry....

I was expecting this book to be Weird Tales, but it ended up being more Black Mask. The stores are mostly mystery / crime stories with tattoos factoring in. The stories are good - just not what I expected or necessarily wanted.

There's a few creepy stories in here and overall it's worth a read if you know what you are getting into.

[p. · Rating 3 out of 5]

a somewhat difficult entry in the series to make my mind up about. on one side, i did not necessarily enjoy the whole vibe of the series, on another - there are some very strong stories included here.

favourite stories: 'the tattooer' by junichiro tanizaki, 'branded' by albert payson terhune, 'the starfish tattoo' by arthur tuckerman, 'the secret tattoo' by frederick ames coates, 'the tattooed card' by william e. barrett, and 'skin' by roald dahl

[Marie-Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite story was 'a marked man' because of the accents

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

An odd addition to the British Library Tales of the Weird series, as there is very little that could be considered . . . well, weird. The tales are more along the lines of pulp crime stories and mysteries than anything in the supernatural vein, though there are a few that could be considered such. Still, all the stories in this collection are very good and I enjoyed them all. The stories in this collection are:

Two Delicate Cases by James Payn
The Green Phial by T. W. Speight
A Marked Man by W. W. Jacobs
The Tattoo by Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews
The Tattooer by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki
The Background by Saki
The Tattooed Leg by John Chilton
Branded by Albert Payson Terhune
The Tattooed Eye by Arthur P. Hankins
The Starfish Tattoo by Arthur Tuckerman
The Secret Tattoo by Frederick Ames Coates
The Tattooed Card by William E. Barrett
Skin by Roald Dahl

[Paul English-Wolfe · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with all of the other books in this series, the quality and relevance are immensely variable.

While there were a couple of stories that did have a nice amount of weirdness (The Tattooer, specifically), the majority of the stories are more noir-ish with very similar plot threads.

It’s still an enjoyable read though and I’m planning on working my way through every anthology.

[Mark · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read a few of these anthologies now and have to say this is one to avoid. It's pretty much the same (weak) story retold several times. Getting tattooed was definitely less painful than wading through this effort. Believe me here, I suffered so you needn't.
Save your cash and treat yourself to a heart shaped tat instead.
Oh well, back to my search for a girl named Rosie.

[Norman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some enjoyable stories, my favourite one was The Tattooed Eye.
Although most of the stories all had roughly the same plot. They mostly had two individuals you are quite similar in appearance and one gets or is made to get a tattoo that is used to have them be identified as the other. And this got kinda boring.

[Victor Ward · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,45 ⭐️

Two delicate case- 2
The Green Phial - 3
A Marked Man - 2
The Tattoo - 3
The Tattooer - 3
The Background - 4
The Tattooed Leg - 2
Branded - 3
The Tattooed Eye - /
The Starfish Tattoo - 3
The Secret Tattoo - 3
The Tattooed Card - /
Skin - 3

[Thundraxy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3'6 ⭐️

Unas historias mejor que otras, aunque con un amplio abanico de sabores. Es un libro que creo que debería haber leído a ratos, compaginándolo con otras lecturas y no de una sentada como la persona ansiosa que soy.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makes you think of all the ways tattooing is viewed, from the beautiful to the sinister. If you like reading the work of novelists from the nineteenth to the early 20th century this will possibly give you some new names to check out too.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of mystery and crime noir in this collection.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it. I liked being introduced to mew short stories and new authors. The introduction was especially interstate and inspired a whole unit on visual texts for my English classes.

[Grzegorz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jak w przypadku antologii o statkach i pociągach ocena nie za wartość opowiadań ale bardziej ich dobór do ilustracji tematu

[Samuel (Still Reading Sam) M.]

Dnf. Not a fan of this collection

[Martin García López · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me motivo a tatuarme más.

[Carole Tyrrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another collection of Weird tales from the British Library and edited by John Miller.
It’s subtitled An Anthology of Ink and in the introduction the editor discusses how tattoos were once seen as the mark of the renegade. However with the advent of the first tattooed Barbie, tattoos have entered the mainstream consumer culture as never before. Tattoos were once regarded as a rarity – the province of sailors – and they still attract disapproval. The ones on the neck and hands are known as jobstoppers. In Japan there is a market for dead tattooed skin. But tattoos have a colonial history in which they were subject to repression, demonised and outlawed by imperial regimes. In our globalised mass culture there have been concerns expressed over the appropriation of culture and socially specific designs such as Maori symbols. In fact there are 3 major world traditions for tattoos; Europe, America and Japan irezimu and the Pacific tradition.
Thefirst tattoing machine appeared in 1891 and the most common literary genre for tattoo tales is crime.
The stand out tales for me were:
The Secret Tattoo Frederick Ames – this comes with a good twist in the tail in more ways than one.
The Starfish Tattoo – Arthur Tuckerman in which a drifter, down on his luck, decides to impersonate a more successful man but makes a fatal mistake.
Branded – Albert Payson
Skin Road Dahl – the only tale that I have previously read
The Tattoo Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews
A couple seemed to go on too long but overall it’s a good collection

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rating is from the literature history perspective. A well put together collection with diverse topics and interesting notes about the authors from the editor. There are a couple of crime stories, satire, mystery and some not so easily classified. The collection also contains what might be the first two literary depictions of female tattoo artists. The collection explores both tattooing's traditional connections with sailors, outcasts and crime, and it's status as a fashion among the wealthy.
The best stories are Roald Dahl's macabre Skin and the provocative The Tattooer by Jun'ichiro Tanizaki.

[Delphine · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Tales of the Tattooed: An Anthology of Ink' is part of the British Library Tales of the Weird series, which includes intriguing titles such as 'Glimpses of the Unknown: Lost Ghost Stories', 'The Platform Edge: Uncanny Tales of the Railways', and 'From the Depths and Other Strange Tales of the Sea'. This book is an interesting little collection of short stories and each tale features a tattoo as a key element of its plot, with the most well-known being Skin by Roald Dahl. A pleasant distraction and an easy read. 3.7 stars

[Fenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book with all kinds of short stories involving tattoos in the most incredulous ways! The majority of the stories were detectives with loads of tension. I liked it a great deal but was not blown away by it.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these stories are fantastic while others are not so much.

[Danae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Los mejores son los cuentos de W. W. Jacobs, Tanizaki y Roald Dahl. Muy buena esta idea de la British Library, ahora sé más de la historia cultural de los tatuajes.