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Book Nerds, You Can Now Tattoo Classic Literature On Your Body

A confession: I spent several misguided months circa junior year of high school trying to combine my love of books and my love of fashion. My puffy-painted Dorothy Parker tee, the Shakespeare quotes scribbled in Sharpie on my high-top Chuck Taylors, the homemade tote with my favorite Lawrence Ferlinghetti poem. I swear, they all seemed like great ideas at the time. What’s that quote about the “follies of youth” again?

Fortunately, there are much better options available now. Heads up, nerds: Litographs is about to take all your money.

Litographs

Siddhartha Tattoo

While they’re best known for their line of T-shirts created entirely from the text of classic books, their latest endeavor, a line of literary temporary tattoos, has surpassed all expectations… including those of founder and CEO, Danny Fein.

“None of us expected the enormous response we saw,” he said, after his Kickstarter campaign to raise the startup funds generated staggering returns. His initial goal of $7,500 has now been surpassed by nearly $40,000, and his team is already hard at work on a second line of tattoo designs to be released before the end of the campaign.

Litographs

Shakespeare Tattoo

Not only are the literary tats beautiful and creative, but the first 5,000 of them share a different quality: ambition. To entice backers, Fein’s team of artists split the text of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland into 2,500 separate phrases and mailed each as a tattoo to the first round of backers; due to the high volume in response, a second set, Through the Looking Glass, was created for the next 2,500. They sold out before the end of the second day. Backers are asked to upload photos of their newly inked skin to the Litographs website—the entire text of the book will be available to read via the tattoos by November.

Litographs

Litograph

Missed out? No worries. Fein swears this won’t be the last tattoo chain—although he’s pleased in his choice of Lewis Carroll as lit tattoo pioneer. “You won’t find a single phrase that isn’t interesting. Alice In Wonderland is one of my favorite books, and an important story to so many people.”

If you haven’t stopped reading by now to reach for your wallet and scream "PLEASE TAKE ALL OF MY MONEY IMMEDIATELY," consider this: for every purchase made at Litographs, they partner with the International Book Bank to donate a book to a third-world community in need. The style’s on point, nerdy, and socially conscious? I’m in love.

I’m having a hard time nailing down a favorite, but if anyone’s keeping track at home (hint: my birthday’s in September)—I would proudly rock that Oscar Wilde tat with the Great Gatsby tee. Wait, no—the Around the World in 80 Days shirt! Or—oh, forget it. Who am I kidding. I want all of them. Every last one. Take all of my money, Litographs—you’ve already stolen my heart.

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