Dr_Taverner scribbled: The Necronomicon has nothing to do with Crowley, nor does this version have anything to do with Lovecraft. It was not written by him, (being long dead at the time). The tablets from which much of this is taken were uncovered in the 1950's, Lovecraft having been dead more than a decade beforehand. Basically this is some Babylonian/Assyrian tablet translations with a few Lovecraftian names and terms thrown in for good measure and a preface discussing a fictional "discovery". Simon was betting on the fact that few people in the 1970's were familiar with the materials he was stealing from and wouldn't know the difference. Lovecraft invented the Necronomicon along with several other "books" in order to create phantastic references for the characters and situations in his elaborate fiction (most of which has a common mythos). The Pnakotic Manuscripts are another of his creations. This book was put together in the 1970's and NOT the 730's. The only thing it has to do with Crowley is the dedication on the frontspiece.