Necronomicon

Over the years, there has been a lot of ink—actual and virtual—spilled on the subject of The Necronomicon. Some have derided it as a clumsy hoax; others have praised it as a powerful grimoire. As the decades have passed, more information has come to light both on the book's origins and discovery, and on the information contained within its pages.

The Necronomicon has been found to contain formula for spiritual trans-formation, consistent with some of the most ancient mystical processes in the world, processes that were not public knowledge when the book was first published, processes that involve communion with the stars.

In spite of all the controversy, the first edition sold out before it was published. And it has never been out of print since then.

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The Simon Necronomicon is a purported grimoire written by an unknown author, with an introduction by a man identified only as "Simon" a possible alias of Peter Levenda. Materials presented in the book are a blend of ancient Middle Eastern mythological elements, with allusions to the writings of H. P. Lovecraft and Aleister Crowley, woven together with a story about a man known as the "Mad Arab" (itself derived from several stories by Lovecraft).

The book was originally released in 1977 by Schlangekraft, Inc. in a limited edition hardback printing, followed by a paperback release by Avon Books, and a subsequent paperback release by Bantam Books.

Levenda did acknowledge working on the book with Simon. Ian Punnett made a reference to interviewing "Simon" and mentioned similarities with Peter Levenda and asked Peter to "say hello to Simon for him, next time he saw him", to which Peter laughed and said that he would.