Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volume III | 
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| Author: Danzig Baldaev
Creators: Damon Murray, Stephen Sorrell, Sergei Vasiliev
Publisher: FUEL Publishing
Category: Book
List Price: $32.95
Buy New: $20.60
You Save: $12.35 (37%)
New (31) Used (4) from $20.60
Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 10375
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 400
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5 x 1
ISBN: 0955006198
Dewey Decimal Number: 704
EAN: 9780955006197
ASIN: 0955006198
Publication Date: November 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand New, Perfect Condition, Please allow 4-14 business days for delivery. 100% Money Back Guarantee, Over 1,000,000 customers served.
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Product Description
This final volume of previously unpublished drawings and photographs completes the IRussian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia/I trilogy. Danzig Baldaev's unparallelled ethnographic achievement, documenting more than 3,000 tattoo drawings, was made during a lifetime working as a prison guard. His recording of this esoteric world was reported to the KGB, who unexpectedly supported him, realizing the importance of being able to establish facts about convicts by reading the images on their bodies. The motifs depicted represent the uncensored lives of the criminal classes, ranging from violence and pornography to politics and alcohol. A medieval knight is surrounded by the severed heads of his enemies, a naked woman simultaneously services a man and two dwarfs, a crying President Gorbachev grips a human bone between sabre-like fangs, a group of angels drink vodka with God on a cloud--the meanings of these arresting images are explained to the uninitiated eye. Sergei Vasiliev's graphic photographs show the grim reality of the Russian prison system and some of the alarming characters that inhabit it, while the illustrated criminals of Russia tell the tale of their closed society. This last volume in the trilogy includes an introduction by historian Alexander Sidorov exploring the origins of the Russian criminal tattoo and their various meanings today.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopida December 22, 2008
Jason Black
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book happens to be out of print and gaining value everyday. If you have the $ to spend its quite the addition to any book collection. Heart breaking story's of sorrow, misery, love, hate and much more. This book was also what inspired the director of Eastern Promises to re-write his script. If you find this book interesting, I suggest buying the DVD "Mark of Cain"
Truly an inside look at an exclusive society March 13, 2007
Seth Santill (Connecticut, USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
When I bought this book, I flipped through the pages and looked at all the tattoos before reading anything. The tattoos were interesting enough, but I had to read the introduction to understand the culture that was molded wholly around the artwork itself. This encyclopedia gives a detailed account of what having a tattoo means in the culture of Russian prisoners. In many societies, tattoos mean very little. Many people get them on a whim, or go into a parlor knowing they want one, but not knowing what they want (probably a butterfly on her back, or a tribal band around his arm). This book explains how tattoos among Russian inmates serve as their resumes--who they are, what they've done, where they rank in the society, who they serve, how they feel about the state... the culture made possible by the tattoos is extremely fascinating, but you have to either be an inmate or read a book written by a credible source (read: this book) to find out about all the facets of it.
good book March 28, 2006
hombre pollo (Chatsworth, CA USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
this is an excellent book for those interested in tattoo art from other countries. this book has a lot of sketches describing each tattoo and its meaning. it also has actual pictures of russian inmates with their facinating prison tattoos. i would not recomend this book for anyone under 18 since some of the tattoos/sketches of tattoos are extremely violent and pornograhic. But facinating at the same time.
 This book is not for the faint of heart August 23, 2005
ish carb (San Diego, CA)
14 out of 18 found this review helpful
well, first of all, the book is shocking and distrubing. the book is mainly made up of drawings. These drawings are actual tattoos and many of them are accompanied by a brief story about the persons lifestyle or conviction. There are about, lets say 30 photos at the most, there is some nudity in the photos, male and female. Some of tattoo drawings are extremely XXX in context.Yeah its hard to beleive that someone would tattoo a graphic image of some sex acts on their skin. this book does have a lengthly introduction about the meanings of the whole Thieves World tattoos, there are pages also showing the meanings of the Finger ring tattoos which was quite interesting.The book mainly states that behind the meaning of alot of the tattoos its a personal expression against the soviet system, plain and simple. br /The book gives you a feel about how it was to be caught up in the soviet system. I bought the book because i have been around the whole mexican gang scene and i have seen the tattoos that many of them get, and i just wanted to see the similarites of the criminal underworlds. Its all the same around the world.this br /book will offend you no matter what, If you really want to still br /learn more about the about the tattoos, get both of the books that amazon has here.
 surreal stuff June 14, 2004
John H. Haskell (New York)
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
I lived in Moscow for five years and had heard about criminal tattoos but had never seen any. This book was a fascinating, but depressing view of a completely different world and world-view from that of the Russians I knew. If you understand Russian and something of Russian culture the book is extremely interesting, but interesting even if you don't. My only complaint is that the tattoos are fascinating but the book is relatively light on text.
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