May I know what exactly is this book about? I have check "the world's largest auction site" and they seem to have many variations of this. Some are very nicely bound.

What are the contents about? Spells, ancient invocation? Is it dangerous to have this book in posession (sounds like a dumb question I know, but just wondering)?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!!

I have seen a few different books that are titled "Necronomicon." A couple of them at least appear to have been written by someone with a real knowledge of ceremonial magick. The one I am most familiar with purports to be a real and dangerous magickal system, and I am unable to decide how much of it is pure "put-on," and how much might be derived from authentic sources. It claims that ordinary banishing methods do not work with the entities associated with it. This claim alone would make me hesitate to mess with it although it is readily available in a cheap paperback edition. I have been tempted to use it on the assumption that it is not really dangerous, but I dunno....

On the other hand, even though it is cheap and readily available, I have never heard of anyone being burned by it. But then, maybe they and the memory of them have been simply wiped out.

Ahhh the necronomicon ....

As far as I'm aware, its a creation of Lovecraft's imagination. He mentions it several times in his various books. It was purported to have been written by Al Azif, the mad arab.
I have a version of it on e bay at the moment, most of this particular manuscript deals with opening the doors to other worlds. Invoking Cthulu and other demons.
If you go to some of the many HP Lovecraft sites you can get some good info on it.
There are also a number of cheesy horror films (see Evil Dead!) where the book plays a very prominent part.
Simon

I'm sure the book originally was the product of Lovecraft's imagination, but what is to stop some psychopath with knowledge of esoteric sources from compiling some dangerous information, calling it "Necronomicon," and putting it on the market for the unwary to dabble with? The writer of the Necromicon that I am talking about either does an outstanding and deeply knowledgeable job of faking the rites and symbols in the book or has put together real texts from whatever sources he might have uncovered and dubbed it "Necronomicon." I would not want the responsibility of telling someone the book is utter nonsense only to have them get into deep trouble.

Just a minor point: I think the mad Arab was Abdul Alhazred.

You are right Bill, Alhazred is supposed to be the author! Al Azif is the arabic name of the book (Necronomicon).
I think one should always keep an open mind with these things but also be wary of spending hundreds/thousands of dollars on spells that have a very strong probability of being garbage. I've seen a lot of stuff on e bay that isn't marketed as "magic tricks or effects" but rather as the real thing.
I even remember seeing a soul being auctioned off once..........

Simon

http://www.digital-brilliance.com/necron/necron.htm

Tons o' links - Google and lose your SANity

Wait! Let me back up a bit. I do recall hearing of a fairly recent incident in which several teenagers were killed while messing with some kind of rite dealing with the evocation of demons. I don't know if it really happened (but it seems like it was reported in some newspaper) or if the Necronomicon was involved.

The Necronomicon of Abdul Alhazred, the mad Arab, exists only in the imagination of H.P. Lovecraft. Because Lovecraft skillfully mixed truth with fiction, some people thought that the Necronomicon was an actual book. Supposedly, the British Museum owns one of the few copies extant (and which it keeps in a secret vault). So, when someone writes to the museum about it, the museum responds that they do not have such a book. This response, in the inverted thinking of these people, only confirms that the museum does have a copy which it is keeps hidden and denies that it has.

Bill is correct as far as he goes. Because we are a bit more openminded here in the bizarre forum, you have to consider the possibility of the idea of the Necronomicon as an infectious meme that will spread throughout humanity until, when it reaches a certain critical mass, the actual book will come into existence.

Read Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius by Borges for further speculation on such matters (not directly involving the Necronomicon).

http://www.themodernword.com/borges/borges_hexagon.html

Yours,

Paul

Thanks for the discussion guys, really appreciate the information. I kinda think its cool to have an ancient looking necronomicon where you can bring out when you are planning to do bizzare effects.

Of course, I don mean following whats written inside, but just doing something that looks believable with the book in front of you. No one will know that you aint following the book anyway.

Another question, how many of you actually own this book and have read its contents?

Cheers!

I've got the Simon version (no relation) and the Cypher Manuscript Al Azif.
Read it and Cthulu didn't come a knocking.........
Simon

Does anyone know where can I get a copy of this book? I know the world's greatest auction site has a couple for auction but it seems that its all different books bearing the same name.

I am kinda looking for some old looking book with this name. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!!

No, he was busy knocking at the Surnateum's door to retrieve his spawn...

http://www.surnateum.org/English/surnate......otheutis

Among my creepy stuff (a big bookcase full!) I have a wonderful grymoire created by an artist that does things for role-playing games, Call of Cthulhu in particular. The cover is carved wood, pages are large parchment, it all looks something right out of the 1400s. That is the best place to get some of these props. I also have some necromantic scrolls done by another artist. Beautiful stuff.

Do you know where I can find something like that?

Thanks

ClouDsss, Check these out-
http://cgi.ebay.com/lovecraft-cthulhu-ne......ViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Evil-NECRONOMICON-Bo......ViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Cthulhu-Lovecraft-MI......ViewItem

You might also consider making your own.

http://www.apocprod.com/Pages/tomes.htm

There are some excellent ideas on that site; be sure to also follow the link to the CthulhuLive website. It includes tips on aging the books, and making them look (or actually *be*) dank and musty.

-- Jake

I heard that it was recently translated into english and published under the title Protocols of the Elders of Magic

Thinking on it, you are right Payne. Brilliant observation!
You should share that one with Max, he might get a kick out of it.

Tony