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The 388 Tattoos of Captain George and the 389 Tales of How He Got Them

Being the Allegedly True Story of the World’s Most Famous Tattooed Man As Recorded and Told by Amelia Klem Osterud with Fritz Grobe

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Pub Date 25 Dec 2025 | Archive Date 17 Mar 2026

Modern Vaudeville Press | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles

Biographies & Memoirs | History | Nonfiction (Adult)

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Description

He appeared out of the blue in Vienna, covered from head to toe in Burmese tattoos. Then, as the Golden Age of American circus began, P. T. Barnum made him the most famous tattooed performer of all time.

He said he had been a pirate and a patriot, a rebel and a slave. He claimed he had been tortured by an evil Tatar despot, tattooed by a vengeful sailor in Kashgar, or inked by a princess in Turkistan. Captain George Costentenus told so many outrageous and conflicting tales – what is the truth?

He appeared out of the blue in Vienna, covered from head to toe in Burmese tattoos. Then, as the Golden Age of American circus began, P. T. Barnum made him the most famous tattooed performer of all...

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A Note From the Publisher

Fritz Grobe (Contributor)

Fritz Grobe (Contributor)

Advance Praise

The circus loves nothing as much as a good story, and the tale of the Tattooed Greek is an absolute cracker. Osterud takes readers on a warmly told, impeccably researched ride through big top adventures, tattoo history, and the popular culture of the nineteenth century.

— Historian, Betsy Golden Kellem, Author of Jumping Through Hoops: Performing Gender in the Nineteenth-Century Circus

The circus loves nothing as much as a good story, and the tale of the Tattooed Greek is an absolute cracker. Osterud takes readers on a warmly told, impeccably researched ride through big top...

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Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781958604328
PRICE US$35.00 (USD)
PAGES 390

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Additional Information