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GRAPHIC DESIGN

PUBLISHER
FUEL Publishing

BOOK FORMAT
Hardcover, 5 x 8 in. / 272 pgs / 250 color.

PUBLISHING STATUS
Pub Date
Active

DISTRIBUTION
D.A.P. Exclusive
Catalog: FALL 2018 p. 59   

PRODUCT DETAILS
ISBN 9780993191121 TRADE
List Price: $32.50 CDN $42.50

AVAILABILITY
In stock

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FUEL PUBLISHING

Russian Criminal Tattoos and Playing Cards

Edited by Damon Murray, Stephen Sorrell. Foreword by Varlam Shalamov. Introduction by Raul Kaasik. Text by Arkady Bronnikov.

Russian Criminal Tattoos and Playing Cards

The secret art and culture of the Russian criminal playing card

This book reveals the importance of playing cards in Russian criminal culture. The handmade decks are beautiful works of art in their own right. Prohibited by the prison authorities, they are constructed from innocuous materials procured from the everyday routine of prison life. During construction both the cards and their designs are adroitly manipulated so they can be read. Once they are completed, the virtuoso player prowls the prison, searching for a suitable victim. This process is described here for the first time. Extensive diagrams show how the cards are made, while decks of actual prison cards are reproduced in facsimile.

The book also features a further 150 photographs from the Arkady Bronnikov collection. The texts and captions accompanying these images reveal the connection between the criminal hierarchy, tattoos and playing cards. The respect commanded by any criminal was directly related to his ability to play, and win, at cards. The game was viewed as a means to demonstrate cunning and bravado. Failure to pay a gambling debt could result in a forcibly applied pornographic tattoo, lowering its bearer's status. The loser would also be made to pay the "pricker" (tattooist). Fingers, ears, even eyes might be lost—cut off in the presence of other prisoners as witnesses. Russian Criminal Tattoos and Playing Cards provides unique insight into the design of these playing cards and their link to the Russian criminal underworld.


Featured image is reproduced from 'Russian Criminal Tattoos and Playing Cards.'

PRAISE AND REVIEWS

Vice

Alex Norcia

Explores the intimate, overlapping history of tattoos and card games in Soviet-era prisons.

Russian Criminal Tattoos and Playing Cards

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