''Destinies of the Soul'' (published in French as ''Des destinées de l'âme'') is an 1879 book notable for being bound in human skin. It was written by

Arsène Houssaye Arsène Houssaye (28 March 181526 February 1896) was a French novelist, poet and man of letters. His 1879 book '' Des destinées de l'âme'' is notable for having been bound in human skin. Biography Houssaye was born in Bruyères (Aisne), near ...

and published by C. Lévi in Paris. The book was owned by Ludovic Bouland before it was acquired by the

Harvard Library Harvard Library is the network of libraries and services at Harvard University, a private Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Library is the oldest library system in the United States and both the largest academic librar ...

in 1934. The book was not confirmed to be bound in human skin until 2014. In 2024,

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

removed the skin and placed it in storage due to ethical considerations.

History

Houssaye was friends with Bouland and gifted him the book after writing it. The book was not bound in human skin until its acquisition by Bouland, who believed that "a book about the human soul deserved to have a human covering". He used the skin of a deceased woman in a French psychiatric hospital, where he was a medical student. After his death in 1934, it was acquired by

, although not formally so until 1954. The book entered the collection alongside a note detailing its origins and instructions for how to preserve human skin. In 2014, when researchers were able to confirm that the material used was indeed human skin, Harvard said it was "good news for fans of anthropodermic bibliopegy, bibliomaniacs and cannibals alike". The advent of

peptide mass fingerprinting Peptide mass fingerprinting (PMF), also known as protein fingerprinting, is an analytical technique for protein identification in which the unknown protein of interest is first cleaved into smaller peptides, whose absolute masses can be accurately ...

made such a confirmation possible, as it allowed researchers to distinguish human skin from other materials like

sheepskin Sheepskin is the Hide (skin), hide of a Domestic sheep, sheep, sometimes also called lambskin. Unlike common leather, sheepskin is Tanning (leather), tanned with the Wool, fleece intact, as in a Fur, pelt.Delbridge, Arthur, "The Macquarie Diction ...

. ''Destinies of the Soul'' was one of three books tested by the university for human skin and was the only one to have it. In 2023, Harvard performed an ethical review of materials within its collection and concluded that it had failed in its stewardship responsibilities. This review was prompted by a 2022 report about human remains within the university's possession. Before this ethical review, access to the book was unrestricted and it was possibly used in

hazing Hazing (American English), initiation, beasting (British English), bastardisation (Australian English), ragging (South Asian English) or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, ...

rituals. As of 2024, Harvard University has removed the human skin from the book and placed it in storage as a temporary measure before disposal.

References

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External links

Report of the Steering Committee on Human Remains in University Museum Collections
1879 books French books Philosophy books Books bound in human skin

History

See also

References

External links