Episode description

Happy Spooky Wednesday, everyone! This week we’ve got two stories that will leave you wondering, "Are humans cursed or blessed?"

Kala starts by discussing Anthropodermic bibliopegy—the practice of binding books in human skin. At its peak during the Victorian era, many of these volumes still exist in museums, colleges, and private collections today. How to handle these books, though, has been a matter of debate for years, and it doesn’t seem like the debate is going to end anytime soon.

Then Brittany talks about the (much nicer) Third Man Syndrome. This phenomenon happens when humans are in life-or-death situations. People feel the presence of a being that, while not actually there, calms and assists them in their time of need. Is this the human brain playing tricks under stress? A religious experience? Helpful spirits? We may never know, but it’s certainly a heck of a lot more pleasant to think about than books wrapped in human leather.

Editor's Note: The highwaymen that Brittany was thinking of were the Harpe Brothers... and they were awful.