Just realized my local library's special collections room has a 150 year old binding made with human skin

I was in the back room at the downtown library last week helping with a restoration project and the curator casually mentioned it. Has anyone else run into historical bindings made from weird materials like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

milaw141mo ago

Whoa, that's wild. Actually, have you considered that those books might have been made by the person whose skin it is? Like a prisoner or executed criminal who donated their body to science or medical school back then. Librarians probably don't talk about that part because it's messed up but historically it happened more than people realize. Makes you wonder what stories that book could tell if it could talk, right?

faithcampbell1mo ago

Wait, hold on. Are you saying the person might have actually agreed to it beforehand? That somehow makes it even creepier to me, like imagine signing up for that.