Ancient Book Found and Bound By Human Skin

[VoldtaEngler]

LONDON - A 300-year-old book that appears to be bound in human skin has been found in northern England, police said Saturday.

The macabre discovery was made on a central street in Leeds, and officers said the ledger may have been dumped following a burglary.

Detectives were trying to trace its rightful owner and believe it may have been taken from a dwelling in the area.

Much of the text is in French, and it was not uncommon around the time of the French Revolution for books to be covered in human skin.

The practice, known as anthropodermic bibliopegy, was sometimes used in the 18th and 19th centuries when accounts of murder trials were bound in the killer's skin.

Anatomy books also were sometimes bound in the skin of a dissected cadaver. In World War II, Nazis were accused of using the skin from Holocaust victims to bind books.

In a brief statement, West Yorkshire police said the ledger, which contained handwriting in black ink, appears to date back to the 1700s, and they appealed to anyone who may be able to help identify the owners of the item to contact authorities.

West Yorkshire Police put two photographs of the book on their Web site, but officers were unable on Saturday to answer any questions about it, including the book's subject matter.

[sheramil]

In a brief statement, West Yorkshire police said the ledger, which contained handwriting in black ink, appears to date back to the 1700s, and they appealed to anyone who may be able to help identify the owners of the item to contact authorities.

they would also like any witnesses to come forward.

[sunkarma]

Sounds like it could've been a book of spells. I heard something about black art books being bound in human skin...hmm.

Kewl find!

[Mr Karl]

how about that, humans CAN be recycled, and it's lasted 300 years...so far

[BloodredProject2402]

man, how freky would it be to find something like that and decode it and see if it worked.....maybe get something like the chainsaw/ shotgun guy kinda deal....i think it was night of the living dead but i cant be sure

[VoldtaEngler]

man, how freky would it be to find something like that and decode it and see if it worked.....maybe get something like the chainsaw/ shotgun guy kinda deal....i think it was night of the living dead but i cant be sure

your making rockwulf mad that you dont know his name


psst..it was the evil dead movies

[Black Spiral Dancer]

In World War II, Nazis were accused of using the skin from Holocaust victims to bind books.

The Nazis were also fond of using human skin for Lamp Shades (They especially liked it when the skin was tattooed)

I personally lke the idea that even after I'm dead, my skin would be used as a book cover/lampshade, especially my tattoos. One of my old drinking friends says he wants his tattoos made into a lamp. Trust me when I say, it will have to be either a big lamp, or at least a 2-piece matching set.

[BloodredProject2402]

that would be the coolest thing....to be wraped around a book and have a neat tatoo right in the middle of the front cover......hell, it would be cool to own

[keiko]

Actually it's not as uncommon as you might think. Several of the books in the national libraries are bound in human skin. They're kept in specially refrigerated chambers. Pretty gruesome all the same.

K

[Baby_Switchblade]

Sounds like it could've been a book of spells. I heard something about black art books being bound in human skin...hmm.

That was the first thing I thought, too.

In World War II, Nazis were accused of using the skin from Holocaust victims to bind books.

The rendered fat from Holocaust victims was also used, by being made into soap. Random fact I thought I'd share with you here. Fancy washing yourself with human fat, anyone?

[HempKnight]

The book.


And if you think that's weird,
look here.
SKINBAG