The macabre practice of binding books in human skin sounds like the stuff of horror movies, but it was actually done by well-respected doctors in the 19th century, a practice now known as anthropodermic bibliopegy. Join Megan Rosenbloom as she discusses her debut bestselling book, Dark Archives: A Librarian’s Investigation in the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin, and how her interdisciplinary scientific team’s work to prove and disprove claims of anthropodermic books fits into the emerging field of biocodicology — where researchers apply proteomic, genomic, and microgenomic methods to old books to reveal heretofore unimaginable truths hidden in their pages and bindings.

This event is free and will be held Oct. 16 in Shambaugh Auditorium in the Main Library at 6 p.m. 

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa–sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact Elizabeth Riordan in advance at 319-384-2802 or elizabeth-riordan@uiowa.edu.