Is there a higher form of flattery than to see your words or ideas permanently inked on someone's body? Love 'em or hate 'em tattoos have always had deep significance to the wearer.  As their popularity has become more mainstream, with approximately one in six Americans now "inked", so too has the subject matter with many people choosing to have tattoos of quotes or elements from their favorite books.

The design for my latest tattoo (one of my favorite quotes written in Elvish script) is just one in a list of tattoos I have planned, all with a common theme of writing.  I decided to wander the web to see what other writing related tattoos were out there. Contrariwise is an online compendium of literary tattoos, listing photographs as well as the stories behind each tattoo.  One of my favorites for writers is the Infinite Alphabet, which in the words of it's designer represents "the idea of the infinite potential of the alphabet."

Quotes, have always been a staple of tattoo designs.  Verses from the Bible feature strongly, alongside lines from the works of Shakespeare. However as tattoo techniques and artistic styles evolve colorful, detailed images are becoming more popular.  From the Golden Snitch to elaborate scenes from Where the Wild Things Are,  I love the idea that a concept can go from one writer's mind to page to screen, to finally be immortalized on someone's skin.

These tattoos also lend a permanence to the spike in popularity of certain novels, and there are no doubt hundreds of Twilight tattoos that will last long after the tween mob of fans has grown up and found a new passion.  I hope that their decision to have a literary tattoo means that their passion for reading is something that will remain with them as long as the artwork.