Books bound in human skin

[krakenten]

This whole thing seems to have been sparked by the discovery of a book bound in Human Skin in Leeds, England(attmept, probably vain, to restore some semblance of decorum), which was mentioned on another BB I frequent.
This volume was said to be about 300 years old.
More, I have not been able to discover-and this may be a good thing.

[Jesus Prime]

What book was it? Like a medical journal, or what?

[odin2]

Here we go.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060409/ap_ ... man_skin_8

It's a news link all about a book that was just found...Bound in human skin

[Jesus Prime]

Sweet.

[JJ Burke]

i like how they were unable to tell us about the subject matter. that means i'm free to assume it's THE necronomicon

[Jesus Prime]

Or, to assume it's "The Faerie Queene" by Edmund Spenser.

[odin2]

i like how they were unable to tell us about the subject matter. that means i'm free to assume it's THE necronomicon

That's just what I thought...
Now to find a way to stea...I mean, buy it for the Church of Cthulhu.

[JJ Burke]

why not? show me a religion that hasn't stolen or fabricated anything, and i'll show you to an eye doctor

[krakenten]

Books bound in human skin are not that rare.
The Assyrians flayed enemies and covered pillers with the hides, as trophies.
In the middle ages, it is said that monks donated their skins(post mortem) to be used to cover prayer books.
Prisons, charity hospitals, poorhouses and looney bins often found themselves with unclaimed residents to dispose of, and to help with the budget, they were sometimes turned into medical skeletons, pickled organs for specimens, and skinned to be turned into(often by on site craft shops) such items as cigarette cases, wallets and book bindings.
WWII, and the horrors of the camps brought this practice to a stop.
America was a prime place for this practice- in the frontier wars, Native American warriors who fell were turned into all sorts of handicrafts-I once saw a tobacco pouch made from a hand-and Tecumpseh, or somebody, was skinned and turned into razor strops, which were proudly passed down the generations.
Executed criminals, lynching victims and other notable indigent dead were sometimes made into wallets, with an inscription in india ink to identify the source of the material.
The Nazis may have tried to use human skin to produce military leather goods, but like most of their cruel excesses, it seems to have failed, or at least been inefficient.
William Wallace-Braveheart-skinned the Lord Treasurer of England and made a sword sling from his hide, which he wore proudly.
Medical and religious books were sometimes bound in human skin-I've seen untanned examples, tattoos are preserved this way at the morgue in hopes of identifying John/Jane Does at a later date-and from the photos, it seems that it resembles pig skin, with a pebble grain.
It's probably easy to work with, but I'll pass.
Fie on you who say there's one Necronomicon-from the number discovered in used book shops and flea markets, it must be as common as Moby Dick!
There are several editions of the Adder known.
Finally-for those who have learning far beyond my humble estate- the original title of the dread grimoire, as it came to HPL in a dream was "Image of the Laws of the Dead".
Has anyone enough Greek to figure out what that would really translate into- it came out as "Book of the Dead", because HPL, who was self taught, had little Greek, or at least, not enough!
Still, he had more than me.

[JJ Burke]

Fie on you who say there's one Necronomicon-from the number discovered in used book shops and flea markets, it must be as common as Moby Dick!

yeah.. hence the comedic aspect..
nice, thorough post though.

have you heard the story of the polynesian king who offered his european guests a choice of whose tattooed skins they wanted to take home with them? i think it was the warriors who had them. anyway they picked some out, executed and skinned them. the skins were then made into lampshades and toilet paper cozies

[krakenten]

Sounds crazy to me, but whatever floats the boat,eh?

[Jesus Prime]

Fie on you who say there's one Necronomicon-from the number discovered in used book shops and flea markets, it must be as common as Moby Dick!

yeah.. hence the comedic aspect..
nice, thorough post though.

have you heard the story of the polynesian king who offered his european guests a choice of whose tattooed skins they wanted to take home with them? i think it was the warriors who had them. anyway they picked some out, executed and skinned them. the skins were then made into lampshades and toilet paper cozies

Of all the things to make out of the one present you're assured never to receive agian, they made lampshades and toilet paper cozies. Serioulsy, what the fuck?

[Enkil]

I would love to have a book bound in human flesh!

I think a copy of the Malleus Maleficarum or the Compendium Maleficarum bound in the flesh of a supposed witch would be delightful!

[krakenten]

Oh, no, off your meds again?

[JJ Burke]

..so just any 'supposed' witch will do? i have this neighbor whose chihuahuas never shut up.. eh... how much are you looking to spend?