Vail Angus. Customizing the Body: The Art and Culture of Tattooing

Temple University, 2008. — 272 p. — ISBN: 159213887X.Originally published in 1989, this ground-breaking ethnographic exploration of tattooing - and the art world surrounding it - covers the history, anthropology, and sociology of body modification practices; the occupational experience of the tattooist; the process and social consequences of becoming a tattooed person; and the prospects of "serious" tattooing becoming an accepted art form.