A comprehensive three-volume series documenting the complex tattoo culture within Russian criminal society. Authored by Danzig Baldaev, a former prison guard, the encyclopaedia features over 3,000 meticulously detailed drawings and photographs of tattoos collected between 1948 and 1986. Each tattoo serves as a visual narrative, revealing the bearer’s rank, criminal expertise, and personal history within the underworld. Symbols range from religious iconography to political imagery, each carrying specific meanings understood within the prison community. Baldaev’s work offers an unparalleled ethnographic insight into a closed society, preserving a visual language that reflects the values, codes, and hierarchies of Russian criminal life. This encyclopaedia not only serves as a vital resource for understanding the semiotics of criminal tattoos but also as a poignant record of individual stories etched into the skin. Art, Danzig Baldaev, Monograph, 2003, FUEL, Photography, 2006 FUEL 978-0955006128 Danzig Baldaev 2006