Synopsis: On bookshelves around the world, surrounded by ordinary books bound in paper and leather, rest other volumes of a distinctly strange and grisly sort: those bound in human skin. Would you know one if you held it in your hand?
In Dark Archives, Megan Rosenbloom seeks out the historic and scientific truths behind anthropodermic bibliopegy—the practice of binding books in this most intimate covering. Dozens of such books live on in the world’s most famous libraries and museums. Dark Archives exhumes their origins and brings to life the doctors, murderers, innocents, and indigents whose lives are sewn together in this disquieting collection. Along the way, Rosenbloom tells the story of how her team of scientists, curators, and librarians test rumored anthropodermic books, untangling the myths around their creation and reckoning with the ethics of their custodianship.
A librarian and journalist, Rosenbloom is a member of The Order of the Good Death and a cofounder of their Death Salon, a community that encourages conversations, scholarship, and art about mortality and mourning. In Dark Archives—captivating and macabre in all the right ways—she has crafted a narrative that is equal parts detective work, academic intrigue, history, and medical curiosity: a book as rare and thrilling as its subject.
For those with a macabre interest in death and dissection, this will provide you with a suitable overview. For those, like myself, who were wanting a bit more, then you will go away slightly less fulfilled.
My interest in anthropodermic bibliopegy dates, back to 2011, I was looking into a series of sensational murder cases dating back to the 1800s and what was the ultimate fate of those arrested. My interest was so sparked that I was compelled to write a blog post on it entitled Cadaver Books which touched on a number of books created from those executed.
My little blog post was by no means in in-depth study which led me to request a copy of Dark Archives as a means to further enhance my knowledge on those books not created from criminals executed where " ... a dead person's skin had become a byproduct of the dissection process ... ' - dissection being a part of the sentence and a form of public humiliation (a fate intended to deter criminal activity).
To be honest, I personally, was left a little flat. Whilst I appreciated that the author traveled throughout the USA to the libraries and universities that held these treasures, I was looking for a more broader study. The majority of tomes covered are American based, with some case studies are from the UK (ie: Burke & Hare, Red Barn Mystery) and France.
" ... each old book is like a mystery quietly awaiting its detective ... "
I also appreciated the author's intent on seeking out those said to be cadaver books and having them tested, which often put paid to their origins when results came back in the negative.
As I mentioned, those with a passing interest will find this a fascinating book which often looks at the mythology behind the antecedents of each tome; age-old myths surrounding the production of such tomes during both the French Revolution and Nazi Germany are debunked; and the science and methodology behind the production is discussed. Unfortunately I found more than one chapter waffling on before finally getting to the point in the last few paragraphs which resulted in my interest waning.
The author finishes on the matter of skin art and choice wherein today's generation with their beautifully crafted tattoos are looking at a means of preserving these post mortem, and also the current regulation surrounding the possession and display of human remains, and usage of donation to medical science. At the end there is a list of where 17 confirmed books are located.
This is a short book - barely 180 pages, with the rest made up of extensive notes. An entry level read into the subject of anthropodermic bibliopegy.
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