Have you ever seen someone with a tattoo and wondered "what made them do that?" From the simple swirl of an inked name to the intricate and colorful pattern of a "sleeve" tattoo, each have their own story. On October 12th, Harper Perennial released The Word Made Flesh: Literary Tattoos from Bookworms Worldwide; a book that highlights about 100 such stories, all represented by images and quotations from the likes of Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath and even Harry Potter.
Editors Eva Talmadge and Justin Taylor admit to having no idea how big the trend of "literary tattoos" really was when they started this project in 2009. Years ago, getting a tattoo used to be taboo, now it's as common as a second or third ear piercing. Book lovers worldwide are now inking their favorite quotes and illustrations onto their skin as their own special tribute to the word made flesh.
Talmadge and Taylor have put together a wonderful book of tattoos and their owners with detailed backgrounds that answer the question "why?" Readers learn about a project launched in 2003 called SKIN, where a writer’s 2,095 word short story is being inked on the skin of volunteers, one word at a time. Or find out how one lucky person had the Very Hungry Caterpillar drawn on her arm by Eric Carle himself.
Want to check out more Literary Ink? Visit www.tattoolit.com.
Pick up your own copy from a local Charlotte Bookstore:
Borders: Charlotte/North Lake/Stonecrest
Discloure: This book was provided to me by Harper Perennial for review.
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