Entry No. 33 — the Boston file — filed under: cabinet of curiosities

Boston Athenaeum — the skin-bound book

Locked in the vaults of this 1807 membership library sits Narrative of the Life of James Allen, alias George Walton — the highwayman's 1837 deathbed memoir, bound, at his own written request, in a strip of skin flayed from his own back after he died in prison, with Latin tooled on the cover reading 'this book is bound in the skin of Walton.'

The move: Buy first-floor day admission, explore the twelve floors of rare-book stacks and rooftop terrace, and email the Athenaeum ahead of time to request an appointment to view the skin book itself in the reading room.

• 📍 Beacon Hill, Boston
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 10½ Beacon St, Boston, MA 02108

Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia · rarebookhub.com

last checked: 2026-07-20