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Dead Names: The Dark History of the Necronomicon
 
 
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Dead Names: The Dark History of the Necronomicon [Mass Market Paperback]

Simon (Author)
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)

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Book Description

March 28, 2006

The dark history of the Necronomicon––one of the world's most feared and fascinating books––told by the one man who saw it all...and lived to tell the tale.

The Necronomicon is one of the most controversial books ever published. The master of Gothic suspense, H.P. Lovecraft, wrote about a mystical and dreaded grimoire, known as the Necronomicon––an ancient text written by an Arab that, if it were to fall into the wrong hands, could have disastrous consequences. But no one thought the Necronomicon had any basis in the world outside of Lovecraft's fiction. Until...

Simon was a young man drawn to the mysterious world of the occult through his association with several Eastern Orthodox religions and his friendship with the owner of an occult bookstore in Brooklyn. In 1972 he stumbled upon a stolen text in a friend's apartment, unaware that what he held in his hands was the real Necronomicon––something long thought to be a creation of Lovecraft's brilliant mind and deft pen. After an arduous translation, done in the utmost secrecy (since the tome was in fact stolen), Simon and his close circle of friends unveiled the now–infamous grimoire to a clamoring public.

In Dead Names, Simon tells the amazing true story that surrounds the Necronomicon. From the main players' humble beginnings in the pageantry–filled and secret world of Eastern Orthodox religion, to the accidental discovery of the Necronomicon, to the Son of Sam murders, the JFK assassination , the brilliant William S. Burroughs, and the eventual suspicious deaths of almost everyone involved with the grimoire, this book is an enthralling account of a book steeped in legend, lies, and murder.


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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Simon's 1977 "translation" of the Necronomicon exploited the name and legend of H.P. Lovecraft's invented book, but bore little resemblance to what Lovecraft's readers had come to expect. Now in this "history," memoir and answer to his critics, the author tries to have it both ways: his was not the Lovecraftian Necronomicon, but another work of blasphemous elder lore with the same title. Possibly Lovecraft had heard of it, Simon suggests. We are also asked to believe that the volume, like the Lovecraftian original, has a long and sinister history, including links to the Son of Sam murders, assorted suicides, the New York occult scene and even the World Trade Center attack. Lacking is any evidence that this is other than the work of the author's imagination. While the result may be of interest to students of the occult, it has little to offer to fantasy readers or Lovecraft fans. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Simon is a student of magic, occultism, and religion since the mid-1960s and the editor of the Necronomicon, Simon was a frequent lecturer for the famed Warlock Shop in Brooklyn and the Magickal Childe Bookstore in Manhattan for more than ten years before his sudden disappearance in 1984, speaking on topics as diverse as religion and politics, occultism and fascism, ceremonial magic, demonolatry, the Tarot, the Qabala, and Asian occult systems. He also conducted private classes for the New York City OTO during this period, with a focus on Enochian magic, "Owandering bishops," and Afro-Caribbean occult beliefs. An ordained priest of an Eastern Orthodox church, Simon has appeared on television and radio discussing such topics as exorcism, satanism, and Nazism. The media events he organized in the 1970s and 1980s -- with rock bands, ritual performances, and celebrity appearances -- helped to promote the "occult renaissance" in New York City. After decades of study in European, Asian, and Latin American cult centers, this book marks his first public appearance in more than twenty years.


Product Details

  • Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
  • Publisher: Avon (March 28, 2006)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 006078704X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060787042
  • Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #526,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

 

Customer Reviews

29 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (29 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars A rather shoddy ploy, June 6, 2006
This review is from: Dead Names: The Dark History of the Necronomicon (Mass Market Paperback)
First lets keep in mind Simon's comment from page 216:

"To survive the occult journey, one must be prepeared to abandon one's ego; unfortunately for most occultists their ego is the last thing they are prepared to give up."

The book goes on to describe his comparable appearance to Johnny Depp, how Roman Polanski made "The Ninth Gate" based on their story(As someone else already brought up, the movie is based on the book "The Club Dumas" by Arturo Reverte. Don't believe me just look up the book, we are on Amazon after all!) There is also a comment below it about how the movie Ghostbusters is based on it as well. No undeserved ego there I assure you!

The book goes on with praise for Aleister Crowley, condemnation for almost any scholar who does not agree with him, chapter 10 is summed up in a nutshell: A person makes a critical comment about the Necronomicon and Simon's response is more or less: "nuh uh you weren't there!"

The book is not especially well written, the events cannot be proven, the supposedly "stolen books" cannot be listed(except for the Necronomicon of course.) The book is simply a poor defense of a hoax, not even really a necessary defense of it, for as long as there are twelve and thirteen year olds who have no idea about the occult or simply wish to screw with their uptight Christian parents, the Necronomicon will continue to sell copies until The Old Ones come home.
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8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars He'll pay the price later ..., August 21, 2008
By 
Damien Thorn (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Dead Names: The Dark History of the Necronomicon (Mass Market Paperback)
Most of what's written here is plain fetid garbage. The text is weak, rife with error and reeks of pure sensationalist detritus for the sake of profit and profit alone. This should be avoided at all costs. Hopefully the money gained by this endeavor was spent well.
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36 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars I Can Save You $7.99, August 16, 2006
This review is from: Dead Names: The Dark History of the Necronomicon (Mass Market Paperback)
You don't need to shell out $7.99 in order to learn the "dark history" of the Necronomicon. I can tell you its history for free, in one paragraph.

In the 1920s and 30s there was a brilliant pulp fiction writer named H. P. Lovecraft. He created his own made up religion, which would come to be known as the "Cthulhu Mythos", providing a backdrop for a series of short stories which were published in a fantasy magazine called "Weird Tales". The best and most well known of these stories are "The Call of Cthulhu" and "The Dunwich Horror", and they center around "The Old Ones", alien gods/demons of unimaginable power who will one day return to our world and bring about the end of mankind. In the course of creating this entirely made up religion, he created an ancient grimoire which could be used to open the portals between the worlds and bring the Old Ones back. He called it the Necronomicon.

There it is. A concise history of the Necronomicon. Anything that claims to be an "authentic" Necronomicon is just as real as the planet Oz or flesh eating zombies. If you're inclined to believe in these things, either grow up or seek professional help.

By the way, Lovecraft is a great writer. I highly recommend the Arkham House editions of his works.

I just saved you $7.99. You're welcome.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
This story begins-as do so many others of our generation-in 1968. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
wandering bishops, medieval grimoires, witch wars, ceremonial magic, practice animal sacrifice, occult works, occult system, dox church
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Herman Slater, Aleister Crowley, Larry Barnes, Magickal Childe, Warlock Shop, Andrew Prazsky, United States, Golden Dawn, Middle East, Son of Sam, Kenneth Grant, Slavonic Orthodox Church, Anthony Prazsky, Eastern Orthodox, Khem Caigan, New Age, Church of Satan, Peter Levenda, Book of Shadows, Brooklyn Heights, Ukrainian Orthodox, American Orthodox Catholic Church, Maury Terry, Michael Hubak
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