I think I read somewhere that Lovecraft kept getting letters from readers who were convinced that the Necronomicon was a real book. Dedicated as he was to science and to propriety, he always answered with the truth - that he made the whole thing up.

But I love imagining his reaction if he could read this completely plausible, convincing monograph. His pulse would quicken. He'd wonder first if he was dreaming. Then he'd start to wonder if, maybe, he had really read about it somewhere, forgotten it, then half-remembered it and taken it for his own imagination. He might finally conclude that he had been made victim of a practical joke or an astonishingly well-produced and -researched hoax... or he might conclude that his ideas and stories were somehow bleeding over into reality.

Some days I'm not sure myself. Five stars.

Very cool monograph, which seamlessly blends Lovecraft lore with real history written in early 20th century academic style. It looks and feels very believable. If you have ever read any of the books and papers by late 19th century or early 20th century near east archaeologists, you will find this monograph mimics that style quite well. This makes it feel like something that really could have been published by Miscatonic University.

This was a delight! The text, plates, and figures ooze authenticity, and the narrative cleverly addresses key topics for the armchair Lovecraft scholar: from a winking correction of Lovecraft's childhood arabic to "Abd Alhazred", to a thoughtful assessment of the etymology of Necronomicon that will be familiar to listeners of Voluminous or the HPLLP. I grinned an awful lot. Highly recommended for those in the know!

It feels like I am looking at a college library document.

This monograph is very cool and very realistic. The photos and illustrations are high-quality and look great. I'm glad to have this monograph in my collection.