Was human skin really used in book binding?

Answer 1

Strangly enough, the answer is yes. Anthropodermic bibliopegy is the name given to the practice of binding books with human skin. Autoanthropodermic bibliopegy was a practice of binding volumes with the skin of the testator, the person who testified the text.

Anthropodermic bibliopegy dates back to at least the 1600's. There are old anatomy texts that are bound in the skin of cadavars which were dissected and books of judicial proceeding bound in the skin of the convicted murderer.

Some university libraries contain books which are bound in human skin, including the Harvard Law School library (Practicarum quaestionum circa leges regias Hispaniae), John Hay Library at Brown University (containing 3 human skin bound books) and the National Library of Australia (a book of poetry). Other books include some of the early copies of "Lincoln the Unknown" by Dale Carnegie (books contained a patch of skin from an African American man) and some erotica books, some of which were bound in tanned skin from female breasts, and some with intact nipples.