Harvard discovers three of its library books are bound in human flesh

Just stumbled upon an interesting and creepy article. It's rather disturbing!

A few years ago, three separate books were discovered in Harvard University's library that had particularly strange-looking leather covers. Upon further inspection, it was discovered that the smooth binding was actually human flesh... in one case, skin harvested from a man who was flayed alive. Yep, definitely the creepiest library eve

Roadtripper- article



Mostly, I just wanted to share. But I'm curious if anyone has heard of this and if it was a common practice. Ugh!

Then I guess I shouldn't hurry to return that overdue copy of the Necronomicon I checked out.

Ancient printings of Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, and Red Dragon?

harvard, yale, princeton, yadda yadda
remember, these are the recruitment grounds for the elite

i think those two previous comments are an indication that the populace has been well & truly desensitized to these things by now

Yeah, it was a "thing". Bleh.

The process of binding books using human flesh is known as ‘anthropodermic bibliopegy’. One of the earlier examples dates from the 17th century and currently resides in Langdell Law Library at Harvard University. It is a Spanish law book published in 1605. The colour of the binding is a ‘subdued yellow, with sporadic brown and black splotches like an old banana’.

another article

Yea I've heard of it. There was a post awhile back about slaves skin being used for knife handles and other things. It's messed up.

From the looks of it, human skin makes beautiful leather!

Too bad for the guy flayed alive though.

Hushabye
From the looks of it, human skin makes beautiful leather!
Too bad for the guy flayed alive though.

Can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs.

Happened as recently as NAZI germany.

There have been a few cases of lapshads and other house hold items bring found to have been made out of human skin.

reply to post by Blue Shift


>_<
..charming

Yikes that is creepy! I'm not able to read the article on my phone,page will not load. Do they say the book titles or ages?

reply to post by AccessDenied


It doesn't say. I think it depends on how they were "preserved" (ewwww). 2 of the 3 look like they have held up well, one does not. Here are the other two images.





I don't want my skin preserved and left on Earth. Turn me to ashes, y'all, and bury them in the dirt!

reply to post by raedar


Looks like a face on that cover,,,creepy.

Peace

reply to post by raedar


Yeah,it's the wondering how it was made and preserved that is sending chills up my spine.

jude11
reply to post by raedar

 

Looks like a face on that cover,,,creepy.

Peace

You saw that too? Thought I was having an extreme case of matrixing.

crazyewok
Happened as recently as NAZI germany.

There have been a few cases of lapshads and other house hold items bring found to have been made out of human skin.

Yes, the Nazi's made furniture and all sorts of horrible things from some of the Jews in captivity.

I can see another movie script coming out of this story.. Creepy stuff. Long time ago I've heard this story that some also made lamps out of tattoo skin, but I don't know if that really happened . Looking at the book cover I can imagine it did.

It's almost if I can see the face of this man printed in on the first book cover?

OK, that just creepy.

As a confirmed bibliophile, I love books...

That, however, would make me run screaming into the night...

Does it say anywhere what the subjects are? I'm sure as hell not going to touch 'em to find out...nasty.

reply to post by raedar


Ed Gain used woman's skin for his own use, many natzis had human/jew skin wallets and lampshades to say a few, in the hidden archives of the vatican there was once a rumor and I suspect that is all it was that there was a book written on human skin in letters which kept changing, they could not burn it or tear it and locked it away behind vatican seal's.
During the MAINLY european expansion into north america you have heard of course of human/indian bone handle knives and indian skin boot's as well as some of custers men haveing the tassels on there hats being actually the dried womb and overies of native american girls whom they butchered.
In the British museum there are probably several such books as at one time it was not uncommon but not exactly godly either, some were made with the skin of executed criminal's.

Anyway not the kind of thing's you want to touch never mind have in your house on loan form a library.

There are people out there whom get there only pleasure from inflicting pain to others and though we can not comprehend or concieve it they are real very sadly and horribly real as are there victim's, it is just that at some point's in history they found some thing's more socially or in private circles acceptable that the mass of normal right thinking humanity of today could ever accept.

reply to post by seagull


It does speak briefly on the subject matter. Ugh, poetry book bound in flesh. What!?!

Harvard's creepy books deal with Roman poetry, French philosophy, and a treatise on medieval Spanish law for which the previously mentioned flayed skin was used. The book, Practicarum quaestionum circa leges regias… has a very interesting inscription inside, as The Harvard Crimson reports.

Same article link

And about that inscription-

The book’s 794th and final page includes an inscription in purple cursive: ‘the bynding of this booke is all that remains of my dear friende Jonas Wright, who was flayed alive by the Wavuma on the Fourth Day of August, 1632. King Mbesa did give me the book, it being one of poore Jonas chiefe possessions, together with ample of his skin to bynd it. Requiescat in pace.’