The mention of the book carries more creeping fear than its actual contents, and as a master of horror, Lovecraft knew that. Though Lovecraft wrote “The History of the Necronomicon," he shied from writing the book itself. That is why it’s more fun to invent mythical works like the Necronomicon and Book of Eibon.” He often mentioned fictional grimoires alongside works such as The Golden Bough by James Frazer and The Book of Thoth to lend credibility to his scholarly characters. Lovecraft recognized that what he called ‘mouldy hidden manuscripts’ played a central role in the gothic horror and romance written before him, and sought to include such references in his own weird tales for their ‘air of evil verisimilitude.’ (Just using the world ‘verisimilitude’ feels delightfully macabre and Victorian.) Why didn’t he simply reference known works then? As one who handles rare books each day, I can attest there are plenty of moldy oldies he might have pulled from, but I find his reason fascinating in a letter to jazz producer Willis Conover, HPL wrote, “As for seriously-written books on dark, occult, and supernatural themes-in all truth they don’t amount to much.
Of Lovecraft’s contributions to our culture, it may be argued his most enduring is the Necronomicon.ĭespite what you’ve heard from a friend of a friend who dabbles in dark magic, the Necronomicon was a fabrication of H.
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