Dark Archives by Megan Rosenbloom

Dark Archives

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.

Reviewed by Terri M. LeBlanc on

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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.

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Reading updates

  • 3 March, 2022: Started reading
  • 10 March, 2022: Finished reading
  • 1 May, 2022: Reviewed