Iowa Bibliophiles is a group for book lovers and enthusiasts of all kinds. Each fall the group invites a speaker to come to campus to give a talk on an aspect of book history or collecting featuring their collections or materials from Special Collections. In the spring, Iowa Bibliophiles is invited to get an up close look at some of the new acquisitions joining the Special Collection’s stacks.
All meetings are free and open to the public. You can find some of our previous talks on our YouTube page.
Join the Iowa Bibliophiles newsletter for more up to date information on these events by emailing Elizabeth Riordan at elizabeth-riordan@uiowa.edu.
October 16, 2024
Out of the Dark Archives: Books Bound in Human Skin and the New Science of Old Books
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 October 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.
CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS
ACCOMMODATIONS
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 at elizabeth-riordan@uiowa.edu in advance of the event.