Book binding made from human skin removed from Harvard library

The macabre binding has been removed from a 19th-century book in one of Harvard University's libraries.

The university said it was consulting with French authorities "to determine a final respectful disposition of these human remains". Source: Getty

The top line: Harvard University has removed the binding from a copy of the 19th-century book Des Destinées de l'Ame (or Destinies of the Soul) at one of its libraries. The book was found in 2014 to be bound in the skin of a deceased woman.

At the time, the university said that Dr Ludovic Bouland, the first owner of the book written by French author Arsène Houssaye, had taken skin from the body of a mentally ill woman who died of a heart attack.

The university says it is doing more research and consultation to "determine a final respectful disposition of these human remains".

It says the "disbound text block of the book is currently unavailable to consult in person but can be studied online..."

The bigger picture: Anthropodermic bibliopegy — the practice of binding books in human skin — was once a relatively common practice, Harvard said in a 2014 blog post.

French author Arsène Houssaye wrote Des Destinées de l'Ame in the mid-1880s. Source: Getty / Heritage Images

The key quote: Harvard said on Thursday its stewardship practices related to the book had "failed to meet the level of ethical standards to which it subscribes".

What else to know: In 2022, Harvard released a report that identified more than 20,000 human remains in its various collections, which ranged from skeletons to teeth, hair and bone fragments.

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