Last post, guys. For anyone who has been reading these, I appreciate it!

This last bunch of books, pictured, is all (okay, most) of the books I have covering piercing. They are a hodge podge of cautionary teen tales, general books on body modification, and a few books specifically on piercing.

Which ones would I recommend? NONE! None of them is worth a dime, really. Biased viewpoints, poor research, and just plain bad information populates most of them.

Many books on body modification are over heavy on photographs and light on the text, if you are trying to get information. If you're looking for books that focus on beautiful, innovative photographic treatment of piercings, however, I have a couple to recommend.

Today I'm selecting 3 books which provide a pretty good overview of body art, with interesting text and pictures.

"Return of the Tribal: A Celebration of Body Adornment" by Rufus C. Camphausen. This book covers a range of body art, from painting, to scarification, to piercing, both traditional and modern. Although the text does not go into great detail, what there is, is thoughtful, and there are some really great photos here.

For the scholars among you, here are a couple of books to quote with confidence.

"Marks of Civilization - Artistic Transformations of the Human Body," Arnold Rubin, Ed.

The books in these group show gorgeous indigenous and tribal jewelry. Many of the forms of jewelry we wear today are modeled after these traditional forms.

"Africa Adorned" by Angela Fisher is one of the most gorgeous books around. This book is not specifically focused on body art, but rather all forms of adornment. Not to be missed, even if you have to get it out of the library.

For all of you who want to know something about the modern body piercing movement, I have chosen two from my collection (excuse Ivan in the photos--he wanted to help!):

Re/Search Modern Primitives, V. Vale, ed. 1989

A Brief History of the Evolution of Modern Adornment, Ancient Origins and Today, by Blake Perlingieri, 2003

Over the years I've built up quite a collection of books on piercing and body art in general, looking for authoritative sources, and trying to determine what's out there.

Here's a pic of my "library." I've tried to focus on books related to body piercing, so there's a large number of books that focus strictly on tattoos that I don't have.

I'm going to give you Cloud's picks for the best of the bunch, in later posts, for

--general books on body piercing
--modern piercing history
--history/tribal adornment
--gorgeous body art

(reprinted from the Bat Cave)

Funkadelica spends most of her time on another piercing board (and does a great job there), and she gave me permission to post this on BME. I'm also posting it here, since it's so well thought out and written, so hope she doesn't mind.

From Funkadelica:

We've recently been discussing the difficulties of getting a job when you're modified. That got me to thinking, so for your employment enjoyment I have created this handy-dandy guide:

The Pierced Person's Guide to Getting A Job

Part One: Accepting the Truth

I have to say I'm a big fan of oil as an aid in healing. I've used oil on all my piercings with great success. Of course, I live in a very dry desert. If you live in a very humid climate, using oil may not be for you.

And there are those who disagree with me, saying that the use of oil attracts dirt and germs to your piercing. There may be some truth to that, but since my normal post-piercing routine includes twice daily head-to-toe washing with antimicrobial soap, it doesn't seem to be a problem for me. I've never had an infected piercing, at any rate.*

How to do Sea Salt Soaks

Basic Recipe: 1/4 teaspoon to 1 cup (8 oz) water. The correct proportions are very important for the process to work. If the solution is too weak, it will be ineffective; if too strong, it may cause the cells to swell and burst, irritating your piercing and the skin around it.