BIZARRE BOOKSEdward Brooke-Hitching, author of The Madman’s Library, shares a selection of curious facts about some of history’s oddest volumes
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1JESUS’S WILL WAS (ALLEGEDLY) DISCOVERED IN JAPAN
In the 1930s, a Shinto priest in Japan reportedly discovered Japanese documents that – so it was claimed – included the last will and testament of Jesus Christ. According to these, Jesus – described in the text as “a long-nosed goblin” – evaded crucifixion, his brother having taken his place. Allegedly, Jesus then travelled to Japan, where he lived as a farmer before dying at the ripe old age of 106, leaving several grandchildren.
Although the documents were apparently lost during World War II, some still believe the claims. The village to which Jesus is reputed to have fled is Shingo, about 340 miles north of Tokyo. Some of its inhabitants today believe themselves to be related to Jesus.
Shingo has become something of a pilgrimage hotspot, with thousands of Christians travelling there each year. Visitors can reflect at Jesus’ grave, which is maintained by the nearby yoghurt factory, and there’s also a gift shop stocked with Christian merchandise.
2TEXTS WERE BOUND WITH HUMAN SKIN
Although the idea of binding books in human skin seems offensive to us in the 21st century, at many points in the past it was a perfectly acceptable process. Some printers and binders offered human-skin binding – known as anthropodermic bibliopegy – as a decorative extra.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, in particular, it was a common method of preserving criminal records. What better way was there to symbolically punish someone who had committed heinous crimes than by turning their skin into a book, the greatest symbol of civilisation? Such books include notes on the case of the first man to be hanged at Bristol Jail, executed for the murder of a young woman in 1821. The dark brown cover is embossed with gilt lettering reading: “Cutis Vera Johannis Horwood” – the actual skin of John Horwood. Today you can see it on display in Bristol’s M Shed museum.
Anthropodermic bibliopegy was also popular for medical volumes. Book
