When it comes to the Saying “Art imitates Life and Life imitates Art” there couldn’t be a fucking better fucking Example than The Book Bound in Human Skin and the Prestigious Ivy League Harvard University. This Particular Story at the same time is also a Prime Example that Fact can indeed be Stranger than Fiction.
Now for Those who aren’t Familiar and are Pondering what the fuck The Necronomicon is Exactly allow Me to Explain. The Originator of the Myth of the Necronomicon, also Referred to as The Book Of The Dead, was Fiction Author Howard Phillips Lovecraft (H.P. Lovecraft) who was Known for Writing Surreal Fantasy, Horror, and Science Fiction Stories. The Necronomicon According to Lovecraft is/was a Cursed of Magic Textbook whose Works contain an Account of The Old Ones (Also known as Dark Gods Who are usually Depicted as Insanely Powerful, and Absolutely Indifferent when it comes to Humans), Their History, Forbidden Knowledge of Dark Gods, and the Perverted Incantations used to Summon Them. The Necronomicon First Appeared in Lovecraft’s Short Story The Hound Written in 1922 and Published in 1924 Two Year Later. Lastly as Lovecraft is Concerned Wrote a Short Pseudo History Of The Necronomicon in 1927 which was Published after Lovecraft’s Death in 1938. Lovecraft wrote the necronomicon was Originally called Al Azif which He defined as “That Nocturnal Sound (made by Insects) Supposed to be the Howling of Demons.”
The Necronomicon made into Mainstream Conscience in the 1981 Horror Comedy Movie called “Evil Dead” by Director Sam Raimi the First in the Trilogy. In the Movie Version the Necronomicon is referred to as The Necronomicon Ex-Mortis which is also referred to as Natural Demonto and Book Of The Dead. The Necronomicon Ex-Mortis in “Evil Dead” is an Ominous Ancient Book of Prophecies, Funerary Incantations (aka Necromancy), and Demonology Resurrection Passages compiled by an Ancient Race of Beings known only as The Dark Ones. The Basic Plot of “Evil Dead” is the Main Character Ash visits an Isolated Cabin along with His Girlfriends and 3 Friends for a Night of Partying. They stumble across an Old Book that’s Written in Human Blood and Bound with Human Skin (the Necronomicon) that when Read Aloud Reawakens an Ancient Evil. Then Ash and Friends fight for Survival as They are Possessed by Malevolent Demons called Deaditees one by one Until Ash is the Lone Survivor after the Night of Terror.
Now that We have covered the Fiction let’s get back to the Facts at hand. The Book in Question is Not the Mythical Necronomicon but it’s Still pretty fucking Weird. The Book is Called Des Destinees de l’ame which Translates to Destinies Of The Soul and was Written by French Author Arsene Houssaye and Published in 1879. The Last known Owner of the Book was a Man named Ludovic Bouland who was a Close Personal Friend of Houssaye who Gifted Bouland Des Destinees de l’ame upon its Completion. It’s Imperative that You Understand that when Houssaye gave the Book to His Friend Bouland it WAS NOT BOUND IN HUMAN SKIN as of Yet. Once Bouland Acquired Des Destinees de l’ame He was the One who decided, and is Personally Responsible for, the Book being REBOUND in Human Skin.
Apparently Bouland truly believed that and I Quote “A Book about the Human Soul desevered to have a Human (Skin) Covering.” which Seems Oddly Appropriate. What I mean is the Victorian Period of American History is Grim, Dark, and Dwelled on Death from the Human Hair of the Deceased to save/preserve in a Piece of Jewelry (example A Locket), Posing and Photographing Loved Ones Corpses, and Having Funeral Wakes Hosted in a Family Member’s Home for Days on End to Name a Few. Bouland Acquired the Skin in Question from a Dead Female Patient at a French Mental Asylum were He was a Student. Once Bouland Up and Died in 1934 and Des Destinees de l’ame was Donated to the Stewardship of Harvard University. The Book was Entered in Harvard’s Literary Collection along side a Note that Detailed the Book’s Origin, AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOW T PRESERVE HUMAN SKIN (Talk about Foreshadowing I am Right or What).
As You might Imagine there were People from Day One that had at Least Suspicion that Something was Seriously Off about the Book’s Binding. Unfortunately it took Researches until 2014 to Develop a Diagnostic Test called PEPTIDE MASS FINGERPRINTING that was capable of Distinguish Human Skin from Other Skins used to Bind Books from the Time Period such as Sheepskin for Example. Harvard Released a Press Statement on the Subject of the Book Bound with Human Skin that Stated “Its Good News for Fans of Anthropodermic Bibliography Bibliomaniacs and Cannibals Alike…” (Seriously What the Fuck Harvard Cannibals? Really Fucking Modern Day Cannibals that Keep Tabs on Harvard’s Literary Collection? Fucking Right). In 2023 prompted by a Report from 2022 on the Subject of Human Remains in the University’s Possession Harvard conducted an Ethical Review of Items/Materials in its Collection. in Conclusion the 2022 Report found that Harvard had Failed in its Stewardship Responsibilities, and thus in 2024 Harvard Removed the Skin Placing it Temporarily in Storage (Due to Ethical Consideration) while Deciding a Method of Disposal.
Well that is where the Story is at Currently and there a Two things that Stick Out. Did Bouland in fact Steal the Skin of the Dead Female Mental Patient because even in 1879 it seems a bit Late in the Game for Creepy shit in spite of the Victorian Era. I mean how the fuck would or could Bouland have obtained the Skin Legitimately How would He justify it to His Professors or the Mental Asylum Administration?! The Second thing is Why the fuck did Harvard wait a fucking DECADE after learning the Binding WAS Human Skin to Actually Remedy the Situation? So Some Cliches are Cliches for a fucking Reason and that’s because They’re fucking True. Inevitably I’m afraid We will never really Know if Fact is in Fact Stranger than Fiction
It Is What It Is,
By Les Sober
Presented by Les Sober