Harvard discovers three of its library books are bound in human flesh

mnemehoshiko:

ferrific:

There’s something undeniably creepy about big, expansive libraries. The hushed whispers, the almost artificial quiet, and the smell of dusty tomes combine to create a surreal experience. But when it comes to creepy libraries, Harvard University might take the cake… you see, three of its books are bound in human skin. 

One of my friends from ischool posted this and the comment thread focused on:

1. Are there any special preservation considerations for human leather as opposed to animal hide? (if it’s tanned properly probably not)
2. The misleading title. They are bound in human SKIN, not flesh.
3. Wondering if you could bind a book in human flesh. It was theorized that you could, but you would probably have to make jerky out of it first, and the fat content would destroy the paper anyway. 
4. Hamlet, Act V, Scene 1, Lines 152-160.

Librarians: giant creepy weirdos. 

…of course you tagged me in this.

of course

Harvard discovers three of its library books are bound in human flesh