an illustration of a misshapen skeleton with a plant growing through it against a red background

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

by Megan Rosenbloom Author

This macabre book offers the reader a glimpse into a decidedly spooky practice: the binding of books in human skin. Today, there are dozens of such books stored away in exclusive collections, archives, and museums around the world. Dark Archives takes the reader on a tour of these archives and brings to life the stories of the people who created these books, as well as the people who became the books. Author and librarian Megan Rosenbloom examines the science of testing for whether a book is bound in human skin, the ethics of curating collections that include such books, and uncovers the horrifying histories that led to their creation. For book worms and horror lovers, Dark Archives is an unusual, captivating volume sure to give you tingles up and down your spine... and make you think twice about the spines of books everywhere.