Showing skin in today's society has become quite common, yet theNed R. McWherter Library possesses something that might be toorisqu` even for Britney Spears.
The special collections division of the library has many rarebooks, but none quite as famous as "the flesh book." The book, amyth around campus for some time, does really exist and studentscan actually touch it.
"I almost didn't believe it and thought it was a myth," saidsenior hospitality and resort management major Micaela Redmond.
She said she wonders why someone would do something like thatwith a book.
According to Ed Frank, curator of special collections andassociate professor of libraries, the French book is titled"Idolotrie Huguonitie," which translates to "Huguenot Idolatry" andwas published in 1608 in Leon, France. He added that the author,Louis Richeome, was a Roman Catholic giving his perspective onProtestantism.
The book itself is bound in human skin with the pages made ofrag paper, the common type of paper used during the 17th century.The process of using the skin in bookbinding is known asanthropodermic binding, something common during that era. While thebinding resembles a leather substance more than skin these days, itstill maintains a very odd texture.
In 1986, The University of Memphis purchased the book for $500from Burke's Book Store. Before that, the store purchased it fromcollector Barry Brooks, who obtained the book from a bookstore inFrance during the 1950s.
Mike Larrivee, who is in charge of publicity at Burke's, saidthe process of using human skin lasted up until the middle of the18th century.
"European countries, and some in the Far East, were the maincultures that used the process, but not America," he said.
As outrageous as it seems, Larrivee said anthropodermic bindingwas very common, mostly because of the cheapness and wideavailability of human skin.
Shawn Lee, sophomore electrical engineering major, said he wasnot aware the book existed and admitted the idea was "kind ofweird."
"I would definitely not want to touch (the book)," he said.
While there are not many of these types of books on the markettoday, the ones that have been kept in good condition over theyears are valuable collector's items, Larrivee said.
"The book is worth more today than it was when we paid $500 forit," Frank said.
