by Colin Dickey
First published 2009
In 1820, Haydn's grave is opened just two days after his death, his skull removed. This gruesome act marks the start of a peculiar fixation - the craniokleptic's desire to possess the skulls of the brilliant and famous. In this vividly detailed history, we follow the after-death stories of luminaries like Beethoven, Swedenborg, and Sir Thomas Browne, whose mortal remains were disturbed, dissected, and displayed. The rise of phrenology only fueled this morbid fascination, as people believed genius left its mark on the very shape of the head. Uncovering the shocking, sometimes Gothic tales behind these skull thefts, Cranioklepty is a riveting exploration of our persistent obsession with death and the dark side of scientific inquiry.
Genres: biography, history, 20th-century, non-fiction, 19th-century, academic
Vibes: dark, thought-provoking
Tropes: true-crime
Setting: Europe
Period: 1820, 19th-Century
320 pages · Hardcover · Unbridled Books
Content warnings: body-horror, death, gore