This is a mammoth work. Comprising over a thousand pages, it is one of the largest if not the largest tattoo books ever published! Its three volumes arecontained inside a lavish and sturdy hardcover box. The set explores a monochrome art form through a kaleidoscope of the most widely diverseinterpretations and craftsmanly techniques, performed by tattoo artists from all parts of the world. This tattoo tome explores the origins of black & greytattooing from the prisons and streets of LA to its contemporary resonance on Hollywood's red carpets, at heavy metal music festivals, and in privateateliers from Budapest to Beijing. While rendered in just shades of grade, the spectrum of design is vast: Aztec warriors, fierce harpies, family portraits,religious icons and permanent shrines to celebrities adorn these pages. The common thread among them all is their inventive exposition and mastery ofexecution. Divided into three volumes: "Traditional Black & Grey", "Dark/Horror" and "Photorealism". Indeed, there is cross-pollination among the differentstyles, but the breakdown is not just for easier lifting of this monster collection. It is to show how tattoos with similar stylistic elements are interpreteddifferently by stellar artists around the world. The books also present the fine art including paintings and charcoals of many of those featured, althoughthe tattoos themselves should be considered fine art. The first volume, Traditional Black & Grey, is somewhat of a misnomer as it's simply called "black &grey" in the tattoo community. But now that greyscale tattooing has moved in different artistic directions, the "traditional" label is used to set it apart from itsoffshoots. Traditional black & grey denotes tattoo art that has stayed true to its roots a time when home-made machines made of cassette motors andguitar strings dipped in India ink and wash were used to mark skin. The essence of black & grey art is captured in the photography . Select imagery, withquotes from the artists and collectors, leads this volume followed by interviews with Jack Rudy, the Godfather of Black & Grey; as well as tattoo prodigyJesus "Chuey" Quintanar. Their stories and tattoo work precede the gallery, which includes tattoos from other pioneers of the style: Freddy Negrete, BrianEverett, and Mark Mahoney. The second volume, Dark/Horror delves into personal demons relayed on skin. Paul Booth, often described as the "Dark Lordof Tattooing," reveals some of the reasons why people get these tattoos as well as how his own demons have driven his art. Other tattoos pay homage tohorror in pop culture. Artist Xu Zhicheng in Beijing says in his interview that he finds inspiration for his large-scale dark work in vampire films, not personalangst. In this chapter, you'll find everything from shrunken heads to Frankensteins to even famous tattoo artists rendered as zombies. The third and finalvolume, Photorealism encapsulates work that takes photorealistic art and translates it on the body. While the other chapters also feature realism, thischapter concentrates on portraiture, scenery, and even fantastical images rendered in true-to-life tableaux. Two artists renowned in this style, Bob Tyrrelland Andy Engel, talk about how they honed their craft and even offer tips on how others can do so as well. Their interviews are followed by work that hasinvigorated the tattoo community with the possibilities of mastering a difficult art on a difficult canvas. All three volumes in this one collection are meant toinspire, showing just how beautiful black & grey tattoo art can be