Dark Archives: A Librarian's Investigation into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin

As a death-positive librarian and lover of all things morbid, this book is definitely right up my alley. Not only was I fascinated by the history of anthropodermic books, I was astonished to learn most of them are merely rumors. Very few have been tested, and the author of this book is on a mission to test all the purported human skin bound books that she can.

She is also a medical librarian and this book is full of thoughtful discussions of the complex moral issues surrounding anthropodermic books as well as the display and collection of other human artifacts. I hadn't really considered the origin of skin bound books, but I think I assumed it was mostly occult books. But in fact, not one occult book has been proven to be bound in human show more skin, although obviously this can change. Most books are medical in nature and have been created by doctors with skin likely stolen from their patients.

I found this book captivating from beginning to end and highly recommend it to those who share my particular morbid fascinations. show less

It’s called anthropodermic bibliopegy, but behind the jargon lurks an unsettling science – the art of binding books in tanned and treated human skin. Megan Rosenbloom, a librarian at UCLA, and her colleague Daniel Kirby, a chemist from Northeastern University, have pioneered a technique to determine whether the leather binding from a given book is human or some other mammal. It’s an eerie gig to be in, for sure, but knowing where a binding comes from gives a book that much more history.

Rosenbloom journeys across the United States and Europe to detail the histories and finding from testing various reputed human skin books. Each volume tested has a story, and those stories reveal a little more about both the makers and the takers. show more Some skin was used surreptitiously, some was used after being given purposefully.

There’s Dr. John Hough, who used the skin of a tuberculosis victim at his hospital to bind medical texts. And there’s James Allen, who recited his autobiography to Charles Lincoln on his deathbed in jail, and requested that his skin be used to bind two copies of the book: one for the stenographer and one for John Fenno, a man he tried to rob but turned the tables on Allen.

Rosenbloom’s investigations into the origins and ethics of human skin books are fascinating to say the least, and the questions she raises tend to reflect more modern sensibilities of bodily ownership and the limits of propriety. If this subject is the least bit interesting to you, I highly recommend this book. It reads quickly, but will linger longer than the afternoon it will take to finish. show less

When I was in grad school, a professor dedicated an entire day’s lecture to anthropodermic books. It was a fascinating talk that has always stuck in my mind, so—when I saw this book—I just had to pick up a copy. One should never judge a book by its cover, and—sadly—this book proves that old adage is true. Although the title would have you believe this book is about anthropodermic books, the topic actually gets scant attention at the hands of Megan Rosenbloom, who seems convinced that she is truly the star of the show. There is a lot of “I, I, I…me, me, me…my, my, my” going on in this book and, quite frankly, it’s boring as hell.

Dark Archives has three very distinct personalities. At first, it reads like an show more undergrad’s C+ term paper with lots of verbose prose that goes on for pages and pages, but actually says next to nothing.

Other times, it reads like an insecure teenager’s desperate plea for attention and validation. Rosenbloom spends so much time pointing out how freakishly disgusting her interests are, she sounds like a spinster aunt showing off for her six-year-old nephew’s cub scout troup, “I study books bound in human skin…isn’t that gross?...don’t I sound cool and edgy?…don’t I? don’t I?... Please, somebody think I’m cool and edgy!... Anybody?... Plleeeeaaase think I’m cool!”

Most of all, though, Dark Archives reads like the most longwinded job application imaginable. Rosenbloom is clearly of the opinion that her current job is not prestigious or high paying enough for someone of her caliber, so she uses this book to unabashedly troll for one that is. The reader is bombarded with a veritable résumé of Rosenbloom’s educational qualifications, job history, professional development, extracurricular activities, and leadership roles. She repeatedly clarifies how “my team” goes about identifying and verifying anthropodermic books around the country. (Are the other members of ‘her’ so-called team even aware that they are actually on a team led by Megan Rosenbloom? My guess is that most of them would say “No!” and laugh at the mere suggestion, but maybe I’m reading too much into Rosenbloom’s pretentious writing style.) In essence, Rosenbloom spends almost the entire book saying, “I wrote the book on anthropodermic books; I am just too glorious; Take note, influential institutions of the world, & hire me for the highfalutin position to which I feel entitled!” All I can say is, “Meh. Not impressed. I’d rather be reading about anthropodermic books.”

At the end of the day, this book is more about Megan Rosenbloom than it is about human bound books; and, unfortunately, she’s just not as interesting as she seems to think she is. show less

Dark Archives follows Megan Rosenbloom's investigations into anthropodermic bibliopegy, or the practice of binding books in human skin. Not only does it look at actual examples of the practice, but it also discusses the testing used to determine the real examples from the fakes, explains the stories of several real and fake examples, looks into historical medical ethics, how the practice was done, and current international laws on similar practices.

I found the book fascinating. There is so much that can be learned about the cultures of the people partaking in this by researching the practice. I don't agree with all of Rosenbloom's takes on the topic, but I was in particular agreement that these artifacts, both the real ones and the show more fakes, are actual parts of our human history and can be used to educate people on things like history, medical and legal ethics, culture, racism, and misogyny, and that these objects are inherently valuable because of this.

I think it would have been good for Rosenbloom to discuss in more detail the actual effects of racism and misogyny that this practice creates, as it seems like these were mostly glossed over in the book. A good first step in doing this would have been to be upfront with the results of the PMF testing before discussing the, sometimes alleged and sometimes real, stories of these books, as then the readers would know going into a story if it was an actual example or not. In not revealing the PMF results until the end of each book's story, it can make the reader confused as to which ones are real and which aren't, thereby lessening the impact on the reader of the racism and misogyny used to create the books.

The two biggest things this book could have done better are the aforementioned deeper discussions on how racism and misogyny impacted this practice, as well as including better transitions between chapters, as it occasionally felt a bit disjointed. That being said, there has been little research done on this practice, and this book is a good start into what could be an entire field of research. I would like to read more on this topic from a more intersectional lens, but I did thoroughly enjoy this book. show less

This book was everything I wanted it to be, and more.

I first heard about Dark Archives on the Morbid Anatomy podcast, and I knew immediately that I had to read it, but it wasn't due out until October (quite appropriate but SO FAR AWAY!) I started following the author, Megan Rosenbloom, on Twitter and discovered that the book was available on NetGalley. I requested it immediately and crossed my fingers.

Until I heard Megan speak on the podcast, I had NO IDEA that books bound in human skin was a thing. How had my macabre sensibilities missed this gem? However, this book is more than just Megan's quest to search out true anthropodermic bibliopegy (fancy words for "books made of human skin"), it's an education and procedural in antique show more books, it's' a study in medical ethics past and present, and a behind-the-scenes look at the exciting world of a medical librarian! You get to follow Megan around the globe as she hunts down various legendary tomes and testing them to see if they're the real deal. Some turn out to be made out of animal skins, but a handful turn out to be the real McCoy.

Amidst the "treasure" hunt, you receive a brief education on the history of medicine in western world, how far doctors have come from paying grave robbers for bodies to autopsy to now using bodies that have been donated. It's a gruesome truth that is riddled with controversy when you consider how medicine has advanced from the dark ages on the literal backs of the poor, the murdered, and minorities. Collectors and librarians juggle their want and need to conserve history whilst trying to respect the memory of those whose bodies were used to enrich someone's personal library.

Dark Archives is a fascinating read that brings together so many elements to create a well-rounded text that is as enjoyable as it is informative.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. show less

Fair warning, if you are disturbed by descriptions of murder, surgery, and/or autopsies, this is probably not the book for you.

After having this book on my TBR list for over a year, I finally had a chance to read it over the weekend. While the specified topic of anthropodermic bibliopegy is covered very well, I liked that Rosenbloom added a great deal of detail about the intersection of criminal justice, medical practice, and social issues (such as women and race). This is a pretty extreme rabbit hole adventure as the actual instances of verified anthropodermic bibliopegy is a very small set; however, the overlapping nonverified and blatantly fake instances mean that the hunt for information means constantly checking and rechecking show more information. The book explains the science being used to verify books that have been identified. But the inclusion of the history of how the criminals justice system suppled cadavers for study and how graverobbers supplied bodies and the odd instance of serial killers supplying bodies created a clear picture of the era in which these books came to be. The discussion of how the view of a dead human body in the 19th century was quite different from what most people think now.

All in all, this was another book that provided an excellent cross section of many topics within a historical context. It is also a book ttat may raise questions about one's personal beliefs on the subject without being preachy about how the author views the topic. show less

As good a treatment of books bound in human skin as we're likely to get. Rosenbloom's interest is obvious, and she manages to tread the fine line between making such a book too precious and too ghoulish. Her background and involvement with the ongoing scientific project to actually identify these bindings add much to the book.