Books Wrapped in Human Skin

Alright, as if Halloween isn't creepy enough as it is, I came across the topic of 'Books Wrapped in Human Skin', which is actually known as anthropodermic bibliopegy.

I discovered an article titled Top 10 Books Wrapped in Human Skin on the TopTenz website. According to the TopTenz article:

The practice of binding books in human skin, also known as anthropodermic bibliopegy, is not just the stuff of dark legends and horror fiction.  It was a real technique which, although frowned upon and considered ghastly by today’s standards, was officially practiced since the 17th century.  The technique gained considerable popularity during the French Revolution and among the upper classes in the 19th century.  The technique was used to bind such texts as anatomy books, last will and testaments, and judicial proceedings.  Of course, there have been many legends concerning this practice, almost all of which have cast it in an evil light.  But anthropodermic bibliopegy has a distinct history of being utilized for regular, and even mundane, text.

The thought of books wrapped with human skin is something I'd never envisioned before and sounds pretty strange!! Check out the link above to see pictures of books bound with human skin.

Until my next post, have a happy and safe Halloween!