# Mysterious books **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 23, 2002, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307 "2002-08-23T22:39:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jayjam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jayjam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjam)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/1 "2002-08-23T22:39:31Z")
Are there any real books that exist or that have existed that resemble the book “The 9 Gates of the Kingdom of Shadows,” which is of course a made up book seen in Roman Polanski’s “The Ninth Gate?” It would be very interesting to learn about any books that have mysterious pasts or hidden secrets. Thanks in advance for any information you can give me. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/2 "2002-08-24T00:07:12Z")
The Egyption book of the dead might interest you. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/3 "2002-08-24T00:21:43Z")
Or [The Necronomicon](http://www.digital-brilliance.com/necron/necron.htm), if you can locate a copy. Apparently it hasn’t been seen since the 30’s-40’s, when all known copies vanished. Now _that’s_ mysterious. ---
**Author:** ![JaxBeachBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@JaxBeachBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaxBeachBoy)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/4 "2002-08-24T00:27:19Z")
Or, it never existed and was actually a creation of HP Lovecraft. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/5 "2002-08-24T00:30:21Z")
Or, you could read the cite, and stamp out a little ingorance: [Why did the novelist H.P. Lovecraft claim to have invented the Necronomicon?](http://www.digital-brilliance.com/necron/necron.htm#Why) ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/6 "2002-08-24T00:30:53Z")
Dex had[this](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mnecromicon.html) to say about the Necronomicon. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/7 "2002-08-24T01:28:08Z")
What are you all crazy? Of course it exists! Why it’s for sale on Amazon right now for $7.99!! 🙂 > **[The Necronomicon: Simon: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/Necronomicon-Simon/dp/0380751925)** > > The Necronomicon \[Simon\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. The Necronomicon ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/8 "2002-08-24T02:47:53Z")
One of the Amazon customer reviewers, “hlp2”, sheds some light: > [@](#): > > By his own admission, we know Lovecraft invented the legendary Necronomicon; it was a pure fabrication, a fictional tome serving as one of the many devices he utilized to tie the works of his “Cthulhu Mythos” together. Lovecraft’s Necronomicon was not inspired by any “real” medieval magical grimoire (Abdul Al Hazred is a fictional character), rather HPL took his inspiration for the literary Necronomicon from “The King In Yellow”, a series of stories by Robert W. Chambers in which Hastur, The Yellow Sign, Carcossa, Hali and the evil tome The King In Yellow itself first appear in American horror literature. Never-the-less, many fans of Lovecraft refused to believe that the Necronomicon was a fabrication. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/9 "2002-08-24T03:50:34Z")
That’s some admission; “Aw shucks, it’s true, I didn’t commit plagiarism”. In court, that’s called a self serving statement. What did you expect. Besides, if it’s true, it makes Francois Lenormant (_Science Occult; La Magie chez les Chaldeens_, 1874) a freeking psychic, because he discusses The Necronomicon in that book, 16 years before Lovecraft was even born. Explain that! ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/10 "2002-08-24T04:10:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fear Itself \* > \*\*Besides, if it’s true, it makes Francois Lenormant (_Science Occult; La Magie chez les Chaldeens_, 1874) a freeking psychic, because he discusses The Necronomicon in that book, 16 years before Lovecraft was even born. Explain that! \*\* Quotation please? ---
**Author:** ![Opus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/858c86/32.png) [@Opus1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opus1)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/11 "2002-08-24T06:22:51Z")
I suppose pointing out to Fear Itself that Abdul Al Hazred can not be real because it is not proper Arabic nomenclature is pointless… ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/12 "2002-08-24T07:37:15Z")
Some links to look at: [Enochian Works of John Dee](http://www.john-dee.org/) [Clavicula Salomonis](http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/kos/) (don’t miss the illustrations!) [Voynich Manuscript](http://www.voynich.nu/) Enjoy! I bought a copy of the Necronomicon\*\* years ago, and the other night I had a bat in my room. Coincidence!? I _wish!_ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/13 "2002-08-24T07:49:54Z")
Yog-Sothoth farked up my coding. > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Walloon \* > \*\* > > Quotation please? \*\* Don’t personally have a copy of this, but [they are available](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/books/1564594688/reviews/qid=1030174904/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_1/103-4130402-1311838), should you be so inclined. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/14 "2002-08-24T09:31:26Z")
[Many more here](http://www.esotericarchives.com/), now that I get looking around. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/15 "2002-08-24T14:22:45Z")
Anyone who would mix Latin and Greek in their book’s title should be thrown to the shoggoths… ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/16 "2002-08-24T15:35:16Z")
Since this is about books, I’ll move this thread to our arts forum, Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![sol.una](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@sol.una](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sol.una)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/17 "2002-08-24T23:12:53Z")
Phylarchis of Naucratis wrote a book called Agraphos (c. 300 BC I think) from whose title (The Unwritten) most scholars guess that it was a compendium of myths and stories not recorded elsewhere. We have only the title. None of the text has survived. Why do you want this stuff, jayjam? Mysterious books could fill a library or two… ---
**Author:** ![Daoloth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/82dd89/32.png) [@Daoloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daoloth)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/18 "2002-08-25T16:39:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fear Itself \* > \*\*Besides, if it’s true, it makes Francois Lenormant (_Science Occult; La Magie chez les Chaldeens_, 1874) a freeking psychic, because he discusses The Necronomicon in that book, 16 years before Lovecraft was even born. Explain that! \*\* Hmm…can we have some quotations? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2002, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mysterious-books/125307/19 "2002-08-25T16:47:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Opus1 \* > \*\*I suppose pointing out to Fear Itself that Abdul Al Hazred can not be real because it is not proper Arabic nomenclature is pointless… \*\* His proper name is _Abdul “The Mad Arab” Al Hazred_, but he preferred to be called _Abdul “I just get these headaches” Al Hazred_. Sorry. Please continue