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

by Megan Rosenbloom

In Dark Archives, Megan Rosenbloom, a medical librarian and a cofounder of the Death Salon, seeks out the historic and scientific truths behind this anthropodermic bibliopegy. Dozens of these books still sit on the shelves of the world's most famous libraries and museums. What are their stories? Dark Archives exhumes their origins and brings to life the doctors, murderers, mental patients, beautiful women, and indigents whose lives are bound together in this rare, scattered, and disquieting collection. It also tells the story of the scientists, curators, and librarians like Rosenbloom - interested in the full complicated histories behind these dark artifacts of nineteenth-century medicine - are developing tests to discover these books and sorting through the ethics of custodianship.

• ISBN10: 0374134707
• ISBN13: 9780374134709
• Publish Date: 20 October 2020
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English

Reviews

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

The tagline on this book definitely drew me in and caught my attention. I was delighted that this book wasn't nearly a gruesome and I thought it could have been. The history of binding books in human skin has a lot of ethical and cultural implications which Rosenbloom covers in a way that draws the reader in. The book ends with a thoughtful examination of how one should make preparations for their own passing.

[kerrydarkeyes]

Fascinating stuff ... if you enjoy history and have an interest in the morbid, this book is chock full of goodies for you.

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Dark Archives is a scholarly and well written study of anthropodermic bibliopegy, bookbinding in human skin. Due out 20th Oct 2020 from Macmillan on their Farrar Strauss & Giroux imprint, it's 288 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook format. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

The subject matter is both dark, repellent, and somewhat shocking. This book does a good job of looking at the subject scientifically, almost clinically. There aren't any lurid photos and the only shocking statements included are quotes which were mostly debunked. The most lurid, extreme statements about books and artifacts turned out to almost always be bound in the skins of other animals (most often sheep, goat, and horse).

As a medical professional, my education included a number of courses of instruction in ethics which covered the Hippocratic oath, informed consent, patient confidentiality and body autonomy among other subjects. I can't, however, remember that we ever covered this subject (though I distinctly remember a lecture about the creation and use of teaching samples for physiology and anatomy instruction - that made for uncomfortable listening).

The entire Anthropodermic Book Projectr, and the author Megan Rosenbloom provide an interesting scientific look at a bizarre footnote in medical biblio-history. This volume also includes extensive annotations, a bibliography, and index. Meticulously researched and written in layman accessible language. Five stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.