The Necronomicon is a fictional textbook of magic that appeared in the stories of Howard Phillips Lovecraft and his followers. The ancient book was first mentioned in Lovecraft’s 1924 short story “The Hound,” written in 1922.  In H. P. Lovecraft’s fictional world it was penned by the “Mad Arab” Abdul Alhazred.  Amongst a collection of alchemic spells, the Necronomicon also contained an account of the Old Ones, their history, and the means for summoning them forth.

Authors such as August Derleth and Clark Ashton Smith also cited the Necronomicon in their works and Lovecraft approved, believing such allusions created a background of realism to his mythology.  Today there are many readers who believe it to be a real volume of magic, with booksellers and librarians receiving many requests for it.   Pranksters have listed it in rare book catalogs and, at one time, a student secretly placed a counterfeit card for it into Yale University’s Library card catalog.

Even though some real-life publishers have printed several books titled, “Necronomicon,” the work is fiction.  Albeit there are those that still believe in its existence.  In my novel “The Alchemist’s Notebook” the ancient tome plays an important role.  Alhazred’s textbook passes down through many hands, in my story, along with Doctor Dee’s English version of the work until they come into the possession of my main protagonist wherein the translation and comparison of the two volumes reveal a dark secret.

Because of my many references to the old book in my novel I have become paranoid.  Not that I dread that some tentacled thing might reach out from the eldritch pages to choke the life out of me, rather, I fear someone will knock on my door at 2 o’clock in the morning asking to borrow my copy of the Necronomicon.  May the Old Ones protect me!

Byron Craft