The Sketchbook

Library Bookwatch, Sept, 2004

The Sketchbook

Nancy Heimburger & Marco Bratt

Hotei Publishing/Stylus Publishing, Inc.

22883 Quicksilver Drive, Sterling, VA 20166-2012

9074822622 $69.50 1-800-232-0223

The Sketchbook is a large coffee-table compendium showcasing eighty unique designs by some of the world's finest body art tattoo experts. An introductory essay explores the history of body tattoos, and both Japanese and Western views of the art practice. The eighty diverse designs themselves are showcased largely in black-and-white, in their original drawn concept form rather than a photograph of the tattoo on human skin. With a photograph of its artist along with a paragraph by the artist about his or her background and philosophy. The Sketchbook is a very different kind of artbook, in which East truly meets West.