Through her library work, Rosenbloom had access to a large number of old and rare medical books that were also about death.

Rosenbloom works as a medical librarian at University of Southern California Norris Medical Library, and as an obituary editor for the Journal of the Medical Library Association. Rosenbloom received her Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2008. In 2004, Rosenbloom earned a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from Drexel University. She is a team member of the Anthropodermic Book Project, a group which scientifically tests skin-bound books to determine if their origins are human. (Oct.Megan Curran Rosenbloom (born 1981) is an American medical librarian and expert on anthropodermic bibliopegy, the practice of binding books in human skin. Agent: Anna Sproul-Latimer, Neon Literary. This unique and well-researched account shines an intriguing light on a hidden corner of the rare books world. Lighter moments, such as a visit to an artisanal tanning facility that results in the destruction of Rosenbloom’s Keds, make her obsession with the sometimes gruesome stories behind these books relatable. the culture in which they were created,” she interviews skeptics, including Princeton librarian Paul Needham, who advocates strongly for their interment. While she believes in the value of preserving anthropodermic books in order to “reckon with.

Rosenbloom’s conversational tone and obvious excitement at the thrill of the chase counterbalances the macabre nature of her subject. She details the loosely regulated professional realm of the 19th-century doctors who used skin from medical cadavers to create most of the world’s known anthropodermic books, and embarks on a transatlantic search for specimens, including multiple copies of 18th-century African American poet Phillis Wheatley’s Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral and a 19th-century highwayman’s memoir bound in the author’s own skin (per his pre-execution request). UCLA librarian Rosenbloom debuts with a fascinating and sober-minded exploration of the history, methodology, and ethics of anthropodermic bibliopegy, the practice of binding books in human skin.

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