| "History of the Necronomicon" | |
|---|---|
| Short story by H. P. Lovecraft | |
 First page of the manuscript of History of the Necronomicon. | |
 Text available at Wikisource | |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Horror short story |
| Publication | |
| Publisher | The Rebel Press |
| Media type | Short story |
| Publication date | 1938 |
"History of the Necronomicon" is a short text written by H. P. Lovecraft in 1927, and published in 1938.[1] It describes the origins of the fictional book of the same name: the occult grimoire Necronomicon, a now-famous element of some of his stories. The short text purports to be non-fiction, adding to the appearance of "pseudo-authenticity" which Lovecraft valued in building his Cthulhu Mythos oeuvre. Accordingly, it supposes the history of the Necronomicon as the inspiration for Robert W. Chambers' The King in Yellow, which concerns a book that overthrows the minds of those who read it.
- ^ Joshi, S.T.; Schultz, David E. (2004). An H.P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia. Hippocampus Press. pp. 111–112. ISBN 978-0974878911.