Book cover of Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volume I

Book description

The first installment of the tattoo collection that became a publishing phenomenon

Occasionally a book is published that reveals a subculture you never dreamt existed. More rarely, that book goes on to become a phenomenon of its own. The 2004 publication of the Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia was such a…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volume I as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Something very different to end this list with—an enormous collection of gang tattoos! Gangs featured prominently in the social life of Gulag camps, and these tattoos and accompanying explanations tell us much about how these gangs operated and how they viewed the world around them.

Every time I look through these volumes, I am astonished by the intricacy of the tattooing and the depth of their symbolism. My somewhat puritanical sensibilities are also shocked by the graphic sexuality that existed in the gangsters’ imaginations—definitely NSFW!

If you love Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volume I...

Book cover of The Rosewood Penny

The Rosewood Penny by J.S. Fields,

2023 Queer Indie Award Nominee!

The dragons of Yuro have been hunted to extinction.

On a small, isolated island, in a reclusive forest, lives bandit leader Marani and her brother Jacks. With their outlaw band they rob from the rich to feed themselves, raiding carriages and dodging the occasional vindictive…

Want books like Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volume I?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volume I.

Browse books like Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volume I

Book cover of The Gulag Archipelago Volume 1
Book cover of The Gulag: A Very Short Introduction
Book cover of Journey into the Whirlwind: The Critically Acclaimed Memoir of Stalin's Reign of Terror

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,340

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopaedia Volume I, you might also like...

Book cover of Murder, Lies and Chocolate

Murder, Lies and Chocolate by Sally Berneathy,

Book 2, Death by Chocolate series.

Rodney Bradford comes into Lindsay's restaurant, offers to buy her small house for double its value, eats her brownies, and drops dead on the sidewalk in front. Next, her almost-ex-husband offers to sign the divorce papers, but only if she'll give him her small,…

Book cover of Tangle of Time

Tangle of Time by Maureen Thorpe,

A spellbinding journey through time and cultures.

When Annie Thornton, midwife and apprentice witch, falls through time to a 15th-century Yorkshire village with her telepathic cat, Rosamund, she befriends Will and Jack, two soldiers returning from the French Wars. Mistress Meg, Annie’s ancestral aunt living in the 15th century, is…

5 book lists we think you will like!