Books and Tattoos

Penguin Publishers has found a way to combine two of my favorite topics - books and tattoos - into one magical moment. Okay, actually six magical moments.

Penguin has created a new line of books known as Penguin Ink. Already published adult novels are getting a face lift with new cover designs created by tattoo artists. Paul Buckley is the design director for this new line.

The first six novels are being re-released at the end of June. They are:

Bridget Jones's Diary
by Helen Fielding, cover design by Tara McPherson
Paperback: 9780143117131, $15, Penguin, Pub. Date: June 2010

Money: A Suicide Note
by Marin Amis, cover design by Bert Krak
Paperback: 9780143116950, $15, Penguin, Pub. Date: June 2010

From Russia With Love
by Ian Fleming, cover design by Chris Garver
Paperback: 9780143116943, $15, Penguin, Pub. Date: June 2010



The Broom of the System
by David Foster Wallace, cover design by Duke Riley
Paperback: 9780143116936, $15, Penguin, Pub. Date: June 2010


Waiting for the Barbarians
by J.M. Coetzee, cover design by Chris Conn
Paperback: 9780143116929, $15, Penguin, Pub. Date: June 2010


The Bone People
by Keri Hulme, cover design by Pepa Heller
Paperback: 9780143116455, $15, Penguin, Pub. Date: June 2010

Read more about this here.

And in case you missed it in an earlier post, some adult Penguin Classics have been redone to have intricate typography covers in shades of black, white, and red - the red is to spark AIDS awareness, the cause behind the repackaging. Read more about the Penguin Classics here.

Bibliophiles R Us

No, this is not my arm.

But, funny enough, a friend sent me this picture, so there are clearly at least 3 of us out there who think this is a cool idea.

Typset (and tattoos)

In an earlier post, I previously gushed about my love of typography and my love of tattoos, both of which I need to learn more about.

Then in my friend Sarah's store, Boswell's Books in Shelburne Falls, MA, I came across a book which in turn led me to this (-->) book and now my life is almost complete.
(BTW, this book has a website. And you can also buy it here.)

I'm thinking of combining the ideas in the book on the right with the image on the left and having a block of mismatched type tattooed onto the middle of my back. Not lower back, tramp-stamp-style, but higher than that, yet below the bra line. This would require, I believe, me buying or borrowing several different old sets of wooden type and stamping them out to create the design I want. This is why though I'm clearly a bit into tattoos, there's no real worry that I will be covered in them any time soon. Clearly this is going to be a bit of a process.

Any feedback? Thoughts?

Typography &Tattoos

So, I'm a major geek. This may not come as much of a shock to you, considering I have a blog about books, things related to books, type, words, writing, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera (quick - 10 points for naming that movie!), but I am.
How much of a geek am I? I watched the documentary film Helvetica (about the font) on a date and loved it. (Granted the date was with a librarian, which really should get me more geek points, but you get the idea. She loved the movie, too.)
Honestly, though, I highly recommend checking out both the film and the soundtrack. Since I've seen the film, I've spoken with others, some younger (20s), some older (older than 20s), who have loved it. If you live in the area, Pleasant Street Video in Northampton has it.

Now, the point really is that watching this movie reminded me of my love for (of? - correct grammar?) fonts, which in turn reminded me of my love for (of?) punctuation. That particular love was fostered by the best-selling Eats Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss (which, if you haven't read, is fabulous, hilarious, and will probably make you love punctuation, too; or at the very least will clarify some points that may have been bugging you - with or without your knowledge - for most of your life).

Remembering my love of (for?)
punctuation made me remember my desire to get a punctuation-inspired tattoo. I've recently gotten my first tattoo and am showing all signs of becoming an addict. This sounds more frightening than it really is. It took me about 5 years to get the first tattoo; 3 of those years were spent in the actual planning/design phase.

So, I'm wracking my brain for what kind of punctuation tattoo I might want. A period? No, that could be mistaken for a freckle *ahem*excuse me, beauty mark, so that's out. Same with a colon, a semi-colon, ellipses, comma, even the dash and parenthesis. None of these are unique enough to be recognized as what they are when not used as actual punctuation. So, which - the exclamation point? the question mark? Too much of a statement. The statement is the tattoo itself, not some deeper meaning behind the punctuation. An exclamation point could mean I take life in this EXCITED!!! and CONSISTENTLY JOVIAL!!! sort of way. A question mark could mean I am constantly questioning, theorizing, testing the waters, forever asking what is the meaning of life? Not that I don't feel, act, and do all of those things on occasion, but that's not really the message I want to be sending to those who see the tattoo.

Then, in a flash of staggering genius (10 points for naming the title of the book I got that from), it came to me. The Ampersand. The and (&) sign. Perfectly designed, perfectly proportioned, perfectly a statement and not a statement, perfectly perfect.

And so, the hunt is on for the most perfect ampersand sign to get tattooed.

Herein lies another problem, one with which I could use your help. Do I go fancy or plain? I want to get the tattoo right below, partially in, really, my hairline on the right side of the back of my neck, sort of behind my ear, but not too close, more toward the back of my head, but not in the middle of the back of my neck.

Picturing it yet? Let me know if you are.
I'd love to have your advice.