HeretoLearn

Hi again! Thank you all very much for being so nice to me. I really appreciate your time and suggestions. You've all been really helpful & informative!

Update for @zetroc & @Graeme: Last week, I decided to go ahead and buy Lost Love, and I'm very excited to look over it myself before I wrap it! I was considering either Lost Love or Tattootime, but I think that if my friend did happen to have one of them, it would be more likely that he has Tattootime (either the full set or individual magazines). However, I'd really like to see about Tattootime as a future option if he doesn't.
Also, thank you to @Gingerninja and @eisen7979 for recommending Cor Mysterium! Unfortunately, it is out of my price range, but it does look awesome... maybe one day!

@Devious6 -- Thank you for welcoming me! I have to admit that I joined this forum primarily to get some guidance with my friend's gift, but I've really enjoyed my time here (I've looked over various other topics & posts as well, and I love going through pages & pages of everyone's tattoos), so I might stick around... I'm interested in potentially getting a tattoo myself one day, and I'd like to do plenty of research first and educate myself accordingly!

A big thank you to everyone once again; it was so great to have you be a part of this with me. :)

Hi again! Thank you all very much for being so nice to me. I really appreciate your time and suggestions. You've all been really helpful & informative!

Update for @zetroc & @Graeme: Last week, I decided to go ahead and buy Lost Love, and I'm very excited to look over it myself before I wrap it! I was considering either Lost Love or Tattootime, but I think that if my friend did happen to have one of them, it would be more likely that he has Tattootime (either the full set or individual magazines). However, I'd really like to see about Tattootime as a future option if he doesn't.
Also, thank you to @Gingerninja and @eisen7979 for recommending Cor Mysterium! Unfortunately, it is out of my price range, but it does look awesome... maybe one day!

@Devious6 -- Thank you for welcoming me! I have to admit that I joined this forum primarily to get some guidance with my friend's gift, but I've really enjoyed my time here (I've looked over various other topics & posts as well, and I love going through pages & pages of everyone's tattoos), so I might stick around... I'm interested in potentially getting a tattoo myself one day, and I'd like to do plenty of research first and educate myself accordingly!

A big thank you to everyone once again; it was so great to have you be a part of this with me. :)

I just wondered because I am gay and getting a koi on Saturday and was like whaaaaaaat?!

I am familiar with the Cor Mysterium book and highly recommend it!!

Great advice here - and welcome to the forum!!

There is also a new book called Cor Mysterium put out by Neversleep Publishing. It's all about tattoo symbolism with original works and descriptions for each piece. Excellent quality, too.
Good luck!
 

Both of the Lost Love books are really neat. The first book focuses on images up to the 1960s, while the second book adds images from the 1970s through the 1980s. Both books are a mix of flash sheets, newspaper articles, photos of peoples' tattoos, and tattoo-related artifacts like acetate stencils and business cards. It's really neat to see that while some images have fallen out of style, others have endured and are still being tattooed today just like they were decades ago. 
I don't think it would necessarily be bad to buy your friend Book 2 ahead of Book 1, since there isn't a narrative to get confused by - they're both simply collections of images. 
 

Greetings! I just recently got my first tattoo (already planning on adding to it and getting more!) I'm thrilled to finally get my first one. I'm going to be 34 this year and have been wanting some for many years. 
Unfortunately, the reason for my first tattoo is a rather sad one. It's a memorial tattoo for my dad, who passed last August. But it was a big motivation to finally go and get it. Now, the floodgates have opened! 

dang thats mice. Makes me want to get a cat tattoo aswell 

Please tell me that 'mice' is a deliberate play on words ?

Perhaps we should say it is purrrfect. 

dont catronize me. 

There is no doubt that this is the 1st time I've ever heard those words uttered, verbally or in writing!
Awesome tribute. 
 

@Hogrider Holy shit, the way the tiger's chest is matched up with the folds of your knee...

I have both of the Lost Love books and they're great ways to learn some of tattooing's long and varied history. They're also really nicely put together. I'd also recommend the books put out by Isaac Starr and LLL Books (The Rose Book, The Skull Book, The Girl Book, and The Cat Book) since each has a different lineup of artists and you get to see a lot of different styles. 

Welcome!  I don't have either of the Lost Love books but I've heard nothing but excellent things about them, and from what I've seen of Yellow Beak's other publications it's all first rate stuff.  Your friend will be extremely psyched on getting that as a gift.  I'd also recommend the Tattootime set published by Hardy Marks if your friend doesn't have it, because it's one of the best things ever published about tattoos, but you won't go wrong with Lost Love either.