Pen & Ink. Tattoos And The Stories Behind Them - Hardcover

Oh my god, this gorgeous, gorgeous book. It will, like its subject, alter you permanently. We sometimes forget: each tattoo has its story. Many are lovingly recorded here - from the wicked to the profound to the ridiculous. This gorgeous, gorgeous book perfectly chronicles the stories that we wear on our skin. (Colin Meloy, Lead Singer of The Decemberists)

For anybody who ever looked at a stranger's tattoo and wondered why?, Pen & Ink offers a gorgeous, hilarious, and moving Because. In its pages, the most amateurish, outlandish, and bizarre tattoos become portals into their owners' lives and dreams. In the process, they become beautiful. (Peter Trachtenberg, author of Seven Tattoos)

In Pen & Ink, Isaac Fitzgerald and Wendy MacNaughton have captured the fascinating stories people secret beneath their skin, how they have marked their skin and why. The revelations in this remarkable collection are, in turns, poignant, charming, heartbreaking, and honest. Like tattoos, these stories leave an impression that will linger. (Roxane Gay)

Inspired . . . Drawn in a whimsical, tender style, MacNaughton's portraits are captivating in their intimacy . . . Without judgment or regret, this emotionally raw collection, featuring an introduction by Cheryl Strayed, explores how we find permanence in an impermanent world. (Publishers Weekly)

Kitschy, hipster . . . MacNaughton's drawings are lovely . . . . The book is charming . . . enchanting. This is a title that readers can leaf through a little at a time, savoring the illustrations, or perhaps devour in one sitting. (Library Journal)

[One of] the best art books of 2014. (Huffington Post)

The real reasons people get tattoos. (Flavorwire, 25 Must-Read Books for the Fall)

Fascinating . . . Gorgeous. (Mother Jones)

Each ink drawing is a secret story. What I love most about this book is that it doesn't cover just huge sleeves and complicated tattoos, it also honors the newly popular (again) art of poke-and-stick tattoos. (Design*Sponge, Best Illustrated Books)

Pen & Ink is absolutely delightful from cover to cover. (Maria Popova, Brainpickings)

Every tattoo tells a story, whether the ink is meaningful or the result of a misguided decision made at the age of fourteen, representative of the wearer's true self or the accidental consequence of a bender.