- Anthropodermic bibliopegy
Anthropodermic bibliopegy is the practice of binding books in
human skin . Though uncommon in modern times, the technique dates back to at least the 17th century.History
Surviving historical examples of this technique include
anatomy texts bound with the skin of dissectedcadaver s, volumes created as abequest and bound with the skin of thetestator , and copies of judicial proceedings bound in the skin of the murderer convicted in those proceedings, such as the Red Barn Murder.The libraries of many
Ivy League universities include one or more samples of anthropodermic bibliopegy. The rare book collection at the Langdell Law Library atHarvard University holds a book, "Practicarum quaestionum circa leges regias Hispaniae", a treaty of Spanish law. A faint inscription on the last page of the book states:(The Wavuma are believed to be an African tribe from the region currently known as
Zimbabwe .)The
John Hay Library 's special books collection atBrown University contains three human-skin books, including a rare copy of "De Humani Corporis Fabrica " by Vesalius.Some early copies of
Dale Carnegie 'sLincoln the Unknown were covered with jackets containing a patch of skin from an African American man, onto which the title had been embossed. [ [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/02/26/DD3HV8EPO.DTL San Francisco Chronicle] ]Fiction and legend
It was commonly believed for a time that prominent Nazis, such as
Ilsa Koch , had commissioned the creation of items from the skin of victims of theHolocaust , including books and lampshades. However, no lampshades or books bound in human skin have ever been found, and in the absence of evidence the claim is now held to be anurban legend . The Nazis are known to have taken and preserved individual pieces of skin, chiefly those sections displayingtattoo s; several examples of such can be found within the collections of theNational Museum of Health and Medicine and theNational Archives , although neither institution places these items on display.The binding of books in human skin is also a common element within horror films and works of fiction.
Peter Greenaway's 1996 film "The Pillow Book" contains a sequence in which the body of a writer is exhumed and his skin painstakingly tanned, written upon, and bound into a book.
Notes
External links
* [http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode_island/articles/2006/01/07/some_of_nations_best_libraries_have_books_bound_in_human_skin/ "Some of nation's best libraries have books bound in human skin", Associated Press story]
* [http://www.bostonathenaeum.org/highwayman.html 'The Highwayman' at the Boston Athenaeum bound in its author's skin]
* [http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/News-archive/Browse-by-date/2001/Features/WTX024047.htm A book bound in human skin acquired by the Wellcome Library]
* [http://www.westyorkshire.police.uk/section-item.asp?sid=12&iid=2240 Another example of a book bound in human skin, with image.]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/south_yorkshire/7115174.stm 'Spooky' face on skin-bound book] . BBC News, 27 November 2007.
* [http://www.weirdnj.com/stories/_local02.asp An article about murderer Antoine Le Blanc, whose skin was made into wallets and book jackets.]
* [http://www.straightdope.com/columns/040604.html Did the Nazis make lampshades out of human skin?]
* [http://www.hlrecord.org/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticle&uStory_id=3d42c486-82ec-41f5-92ce-30d8f886dbfb Books Bound in Human Skin; Lampshade Myth?]
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