Police plea on macabre book find (anthropodermic bibliopegy)

BBC ^ | Saturday, 8 April 2006, 12:33 GMT 13:33 UK | Anonymous BBC story monkey

[alnitak]

Police plea on macabre book find

The ledger was bound in human skin, in accordance with practice

Police are trying to locate the owner of a 300-year-old ledger, bound in human skin, found in a Leeds road.

Written mainly in French, its macabre covering was said to be a regular sight during the French Revolution.

In the 18th and 19th Centuries it was common to bind accounts of murder trials in the killer's skin - known as anthropodermic bibliopegy.

The book was discovered in The Headrow and may have been discarded after a burglary, detectives said.

They said the book may have been stolen in West or North Yorkshire. They are appealing to anyone who may have information, or who may have owned the ledger, to contact them.

Many older libraries have examples of anthropodermic bibliopegy in their collection.

[alnitak]

I hereby become the first person to ever post an article on Free Republic with the words "anthropodermic bibliopegy" in it.

Unfortunately "anthropodermic bibliopegy" is too long to be a single keyword. Drat.

[LongElegantLegs]

But it would be a great tagline!

[Maceman]

In the 18th and 19th Centuries it was common to bind accounts of murder trials in the killer's skin

Nice touch.

[Samwise]

bound in human skin

Eeeewwww.

[End Times Sentinel]

I hereby become the first person to ever post an article on Free Republic with the words "anthropodermic bibliopegy" in it.

 

Already posted here.

Owl_Eagle

"You know, I'm going to start thanking
the woman who cleans the restroom in
the building I work in.  I'm going to start
thinking of her as a human being"

-Hillary Clinton

(Yes, she really said that

Peggy Noonan

The Case Against Hillary Clinton, pg 55)

[End Times Sentinel]

HA-HA!!!  Just kidding.

Owl_Eagle

"You know, I'm going to start thanking
the woman who cleans the restroom in
the building I work in.  I'm going to start
thinking of her as a human being"

-Hillary Clinton

(Yes, she really said that

Peggy Noonan

The Case Against Hillary Clinton, pg 55)

[LurkedLongEnough]

I've seen skinprinting here before. Of course, I can't find it -- so you could call your post a "pending confirmation, FR debut of anthropodermic bibliopegy".

Or just start a skinprint forum.

[alnitak]

Ever noticed how your tagline doesn't appear when you post an article but it does when you post a comment?

alnitak - "Proudly using the same tagline since day 1"

[KillTime]

For you anthropodermic bibliopegofiles out there, here is an interesting submittion on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropodermic_bibliopegy

[alnitak]

That's it, I'm going for a beer....

[LongElegantLegs]

It's a conspiracy.

[Max in Utah]

Nice touch.

Yeah, it's got me thinking about my autobiography...

[Nathan Zachary]

"The Anthropodermic bibliopegritarian"

or, just plain "Bibliopegritarian"

Regarding this book, I wonder what the name of the French tannery was that tanned these human pelts? It may still be a valued trade/ existance considering it's impossible to fire anyone in France.

[Nathan Zachary]

"I've seen skinprinting here before. Of course, I can't find it -"

Hitler used to have lampshades, picture frames, book bindings and other household decor art made from Jew skin. Maybe thats where you remember hearing it.

[nuconvert]

Congratulations!

[punster]

But, think of this line:

Go to the book, and get the real skinny on the murder trial.

[DejaJude]

Regarding this book, I wonder what the name of the French tannery was that tanned these human pelts? It may still be a valued trade/ existance considering it's impossible to fire anyone in France.

LOL. But, come to think of it, they just might have done some work for Hitler.

[Windsong]

Would make a great subtopic in Evil Dead 4 :)

[Windsong]

Written mainly in French..

Written at a time when the French had a pair..

[ccmay]

Hitler used to have lampshades, picture frames, book bindings and other household decor art made from Jew skin. Maybe thats where you remember hearing it.

I don't think Hitler himself actually had this done. It was Ilse Koch, the Bitch of Buchenwald, who was famous for this. She was the wife of the commandant of Buchenwald concentration camp, and would inspect new prisoners for colorful tattoos. These prisoners would be killed and flayed, and their skins tanned for use in decorative items like those you mention.

-ccm