Clinton R. Sanders is a Professor in the Sociology Department at the University of Connecticut D. Angus Vail is Associate Professor of Sociology at Willamette University in Salem, OR. He is also co-editor (with Erich Goode) of Extreme Deviance

Originally published in 1989, this ground-breaking ethnographic exploration of tattooing-and the art world surrounding it-covers the history, anthropology and sociology of body modification practices; the occupational experience of the tattooist; the process and social consequences of becoming a tattooed person; and the prospects of "serious" tattooing becoming an accepted art form. This updated edition offers a new preface by the author and a new chapter focusing on the changes that have occurred in the tattoo world and the scholarly literature that focuses on it.