Anthropodermic Bibliopegy

For all you fans of anthropodermic bibliopegy (ha! my spell checker rejects the terms), Harvard has discovered a book in its collection, "Des destinées d'lame," which was bound in human skin. Today's New York Times reports, "The practice of binding books in human skin, which dates at least to the 16th century, was once somewhat common, according to the Houghton blog. Criminal confessions were occasionally bound in the skin of the convicted, and individuals might request to be memorialized for family or lovers in the form of a book covered in a piece of themselves."

So theoretically, I could have one of my books, say, "Eating Chocolates and Dancing in the Kitchen" bound with my skin after I die, and lines of people would surround the library to visit me/it. Or a discussion at family home evening, perhaps: "Hey, go get my dad's book." Such double entendre I had never imagined.

The possibilities for a creative curtain call just keep stacking up.