Anthropodermic Book Collection
The John Hay Library is well known for its collection of anthropodermic books (books bound in human skin). The Hay acquired the books in the 1960s as gifts from two alumni, at least one an avid book collector. The books were not originally bound in human skin, but were instead rebound for private collectors in the 19th century. The library has three such human-skin books:
- De Humanis Corporis Fabrica (Andreas Vesalius, 1543)
- Dance of Death (two copies), featuring wood-cut illustrations by Hans Holbein the Younger
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