Are there any versions of Necronomicon worth reading? Has anyone written one that matches what Lovecraft had in mind when he made it up?
Yes, several. Including paperback editions.
Hell no.
The Reader’s Digest Condensed Version is pretty good reading and is responsible for 90% fewer incidents of spontaneous insanity.
Bosda’s answer was accurate in a nutshell. The “Dan Clore Necronomicon Page” covered the list of contenders pretty thoroughly. Unfortunately, I don’t think its up anymore, but it’s accessible via archive.org
For that webpage is not dead which can eternal lie…
There are several additional published editions.
Check Amazon Marketplace.
I like the George Hay one. Has an intro or foreword by Colin Wilson. Seems more Lovecraftian & spiked with more inside references than the Simon one.
I will say this- when I read portions of the Simon one out loud, I feel much more uncomfortable than when I do so with the Hay one, and stop a lot sooner.
Pure Crap. If the Necronomicon cannot be read by those who wish to retain their wits, than it certainly could not have been written by an author who was sane. The subject matter itself is unspeakable. The Necronomicon cannot be transliterated from the original text into modern language without great distortion or extreme distress.