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The Necronomicon [Review]THE NECRONOMICON as Translated and Abridged from the original Arabic of Abdul Alhazred, by W. T. Faraday. Privately printed by the author. In the early days of the Middle Ages, shortly before the advent of Mohammed, a half-mad Arab, Abdul Alhazred by name, compiled this odd book. According to the foreword this is the first English translation ever made, and the only other translation ever prepared for publication is the extremely rare Latin work of the so-called black magician Olaus Wormius; who was burned at the stake several hundred years ago for heresy. This version is a compilation from the original. This book was not intended for sale to the public. It was printed chiefly for purchase by those students of the Occult who found it necessary to consult this work in their researches. It purports to be the account of the Spheres of the Occult and their dealings with mankind from the dawn of history. It shows very clearly the deranged mind of the writer, who was so convinced he received these facts from supernatural sources. Curiously enough, it does leave a feeling of some truth in this reviewer's mind. If we are to judge from the foreword, this book is very much abridged. The original ran to nine hundred pages of manuscript. This edition contains three hundred pages. Dr. Faraday admits to having omitted whole chapters for safety's sake. . . . On the whole, this publication will live as an outstanding contribution to Occult lore. It is also the introduction to the element of Elder Gods who according to the ideas of mystics came before the Modern Demons set in. It is claimed that the late Robert W. Chambers and Ambrose Bierce both consulted the work on writing some of their earlier and more fantastic works. This is a volume that will prove invaluable to certain individuals. |
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