Tales of the Tattooed

An anthology dedicated to classic tattoo stories – the first of its kind. It includes an introduction and notes exploring the social history of the tattoo and its position in fiction, and features never before republished material from the Library collection.

The excruciating beauty, exoticism and mystery of tattoos is laid bare in this original selection of atmospheric short stories; thirteen ink-soaked tales tracing depictions of the tattoo art form from late-Victorian sensationalism and taboo to twentieth-century encounters with the sublime and the sinister. With classics of the genre such as Tanizaki’s ‘The Tattooer’ and Roald Dahl’s ‘Skin’ alongside rare pieces reprinted for the first time since their first publication, this exploration of the tattoo in classic fiction is guaranteed to leave an indelible impression.