Everyone's got something that really grates on their nerves. I have a number of things that do that, but I'd like to concentrate on people's reactions to the Necronomicon.
When John and I started the Necronomicon Files, we did not believe it was real. We still don't. At the same time, however, we realized that a careful review of the evidence, pro and con, had never been done. We talked with those who had an opinion, we sifted through rare book collections and archives, and we did a great deal of reading, listening, and thinking. Our book and this website show the fruits of our label, a display of the evidence that we reviewed. We tried to document as much as possible, because we wanted other people to be able to explore our discoveries for themselves.
This is why it aggravates me when someone writes us and asks where they can find the “real Necronomicon”. If they’d read our website, they’d know that we think Lovecraft made it up, and all those that have followed were inspired by his work. Still, we get email asking about this at least once a month.
Maybe the re-release of our book will help, you might say. I’m not convinced. After the first publication of the book, we heard from a reader who was sure that we were holding back vital information, and that our skeptical stance was a cover for knowledge that only Initiates could receive. He was wrong, of course.
I’ve heard stories that are even worse. George Scithers of Owlswick Press issued a Necronomicon in 1973 that consisted of page after page of a fake, Arabic-appearing language. They were up front with their readers about the book being a hoax, going so far as to turn down money from those who thought otherwise. Nonetheless, a young man wrote him, declaring that he was writing a master’s thesis in which he would authenticate the book. The publisher wrote him back, confessing openly that the matter was a hoax. Still, the matter didn’t end until Owlswick contacted the student’s advisor and told them what was going on.
Does this mean those who believe in the Necronomicon are stupid? It may seem so at first, but having talked with them at some length, I can say that they are often intelligent people who have a strong will to believe in the Necronomicon that often contravenes any evidence to the contrary. This goes so far as to color anything they read on the subject, turning our words into an endorsement of their position.
Some of you are snickering, so it’s time to turn the camera the other way. Those who appreciate Lovecraft and horror fiction aren’t always much better.
We received some advice and criticism regarding the Necronomicon Files after its initial publication. However, the angriest responses we’ve seen have come from horror fans. “Don’t read this book! Everybody knows that the Necronomicon is a fake, and these guys are just trying to cash in on your gullibility!”
Funny. I thought the point of our book was that the published Necronomicons are fakes inspired by Lovecraft. These people, as far as I can tell, have never read our book, and don’t know much more than the title. Yet they think they know its contents, and feel compelled to condemn the position they’ve attributed to us.
A year or two ago, I met a man who is intelligent, funny, and a talented scholar and author who is a great admirer of Lovecraft. When I mentioned that I had co-written the Necronomicon Files, he said, “Isn’t that the book that says the Necronomicon exists?” I had to disillusion him.
So when you get down to it, horror fans aren’t perfect either. It’s fascinating when I bring up my book with connoisseurs, and mention that we deal with occultism. Some people understand, others laugh, and others confess they don’t get the point. And then we have the others, those who chuckle nervously or make immediate denunciations. For all their sophistication and education, for all their knowledge of the macabre, they are afraid. If you’re one of them, maybe you need to consider why.
2002 © Daniel Harms. All rights reserved.