The deathbed confession of James Allen, a nineteenth-century highwayman in Massachusetts. He requested a copy of his printed memoirs be bound in his skin and gifted to John Fenno, a man who had resisted Allen's attempt to rob him; it is the only known anthropodermic book bound with the consent of its source. Before being bequeathed to the Athenæum, Fenno's copy was reportedly kept in the family home and used to spank his children.
honestly i'm kinda surprised there aren't any more known consensually bound human skin books.
Like there are christian chapels and stuff with human bones in them, skin-bound books don't seem much more morbid and there's a TON of potential for symbolism and cultural poignancy.
I'm a big fan of the idea of leaving parts of my body behind as historical artifacts, something people in the future can look at and even physically touch and have a moment of sonder.
There's something beautiful in it, even outside of religion.
13 Comments
username_1@discuss.tchncs.de · 23 pts · 8d
Oh, that's my chance to become famous. All I need is a book and some useless human. Wait a few days, I'll be back!
Fetus@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 8d
What the hell is wrong with you?! It takes longer than a few days to turn human skin into leather!
username_1@discuss.tchncs.de · 14 pts · 8d
Wiki said "skin", not "nicely made leather".
fartographer@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 8d
Every time I hold a stack of papers, my hands become a skin book
Fetus@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 8d
Sorry, my mistake. It's just that all of the human-bound books I've seen have been leather.
CackNClap@infosec.pub · 3 pts · 8d
But have you thought of the smell?
SatansMaggotyCumFart@piefed.social · 20 pts · 8d
Kinky.
Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de · 2 pts · 5d
honestly i'm kinda surprised there aren't any more known consensually bound human skin books.
Like there are christian chapels and stuff with human bones in them, skin-bound books don't seem much more morbid and there's a TON of potential for symbolism and cultural poignancy.
I'm a big fan of the idea of leaving parts of my body behind as historical artifacts, something people in the future can look at and even physically touch and have a moment of sonder.
There's something beautiful in it, even outside of religion.
Fizz@lemmy.nz · 16 pts · 8d
A suspicious amount of French books on here.
stormdelay@sh.itjust.works · 10 pts · 8d
Books in french doesn't mean french book, it was a common language for intellectual publications for a time
HulkSmashBurgers@reddthat.com · 8 pts · 8d
The list is incomplete. The Necronomicon Ex Mortis isn't listed 😂🤣.
pilferjinx@piefed.social · 5 pts · 7d
What book would you like your skin to bind? Me? Probably Twilight. May my flesh glitter in sunlight.
coralof@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 4d
Waiting to see a book with a skin tag poking out of the cover.