Dead Names: The Dark History of the Necronomicon

by Simon

Book Overview

Simon, the legendary editor of THE NECRONOMICON, returns with his DEAD NAMES, his first book in decades, an in-depth look at THE NECRONOMICON and its effect on history and popular culuture, from the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 006078704X
• Release Date: March 2006
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 0.8" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

These are not the droids you're looking for

As someone who writes under a pseudonym, I think the attempts to "out" the author of this book are impolite. Moreover, they miss the point. Simon may be an individual, a group, one aspect of a human personality or the embodiment of an inhuman one. I do think, however, that this book deserves a wider readership than the "Necronomicon" label by itself probably attracts. Simon claims to be an ordained priest who came into possession of the manuscript that would later be published as the "Simon" Necronomicon. Whether you take that book (or even the backstory) seriously, this book is seriously fun. Simon offers a window into a several very odd subcultures. First among these is the community of "wandering bishops" of Orthodox Christian lineage who collect ordinations like postage stamps and engage in byzantine political intrigues - dealing in old books, fighter jet plans, and telecommunications equipment. According to the author, these bishops are not necessarily holy men. They crave legitimate consecration for the power it bestows, regardless of the sincerity of their religious belief. Some use this power to conduct black masses, others to conduct espionage. Scoff if you want, but the author has a point. To illustrate the occult power of episcopal consecration, Simon recounts the story of two of these bishops, barely 18 at the time, who sought priesthood primarily as a means of avoiding the draft. As freshly-minted clerics in the (also freshly-minted) "Slavonic Orthodox Church" these kids quickly discovered that ordination brought unexpected benefits: instant credibility, tax free status, and access to political events. They were amazed when they found that their newfound credentials allowed them to sneak past security and straight into Bobby Kennedy's funeral! When they found themselves LEADING the procession from the church, they realized they had stumbled onto something powerful. Like Obi-Wan Kenobi's "these are not the droids you're looking for," this is a form of magic. Later, if you believe the author, the same two padawan would also stumble into possession of a Sumerian grimoire that they would repackage as the Necronomicon. The story is goofier than the Thor comic book series of the 1970's - TOO goofy to be entirely fictional. The author also knows a lot about the occult movements of the 1960's in and around New York City and much of the book is a bittersweet memoir of the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. The people involved in the publication of the Necronomicon lived like rock stars and frequently died like them. Their stories deserve to be told and Simon does so with respect. This is (to say the very least) not a book for everyone. But if you are a psychonaut with a sense of humor you will probably dig this. Especially recommended for fans of Sinister Forces-The Nine: A Grimoire of American Political Witchcraft (Sinister Forces). This is, almost, Sinister Forces vol. IV and it contains a lot of biographical det

Read the book.

First off, nowhere in the book does Simon link the events of the assassination of any Kennedy, the Son of Sam murders, the Jonestown Massacre, the murder of John Lennon, the Gulf War, or the 9/11/2001 attacks to the Necronomicon. Anyone who says so made that assumption just from looking at the timeline of personal and historical events, from 1950 to 2006, in the front of the book. I'm glad to see that Dan Harms, if it really is him, has shown in the title of his review that it is clearly biased and therfore, in my opinion, unreliable as an objective viewpoint. This book is nothing more than a history of of the people and the book with references to events that happend around them, not as an inference to some mystical connection, but to give reference to the atmosphere of the times that events took place. Any coincidence is simply that, coincidence.

This is a must read- the real deal

Yeah, Yeah everyone says its a hoax. People like to deny the truth. This book is one of the most valuable pieces of occult lititure to hit the book stores. It gives an unprecidented history of the occult in the 60's & 70's. If it is such a hoax why does Crowley allude to Sumerian Gods, Why did William s. Burrorghs give it such high regards, why does Kenneth Grant increasitly talk about it? I have been in the Occult and practiced Magick for 25 years and been in the OTO for 22 years. This book is one of the most enlightening books of its time. The reading with an open mind will find a path of iniatition that they will never find in any group workings. This book will show the reader a way that will take him on an astral journey that far exceeds Golden Dawn iniatition, Enochian works, OTO, or even the A.'.A.'. Crowley was very aware of Sumerian Gods and most likely had an idea of the Necromonicans extistance. This books suggests that Jack Parsons may have had a copy of the Necromican as well as Lovecraft himself. Parsons workings will enforce this idea. The book in itself is a fun read for anyone with an interest in the occult just for its historial review. I have read a lot of books on Magick and the occult (in the hundreds, even written one) and this is one of my favorites. Yes, this book and the Necromonicon is hated by the critics. It is despised by armchair magicians. Let the sceptics travel this path. Don't buy into the know-it-all wanta be magicans who give this book a bad review. This book is great! It is a rare classic. Highest recommendations.

explanations

i'm finishing the book right now. simon gives a background of how the book came to be, what it's significance is, how it is unlike any western ceremonial magic book. he also responds to criticisms on scholarship and interpretations that have been made. answers alot of questions. i'm looking forward to reading "gates of the necronomicon" now. a welcome read after reading the original "necronomicon" some twenty years ago.

What book did they read?

I've read the book, and I can't believe the other reviewers read the same book I did. Okay I can understand that Harms would be upset by the book, since it completely demolishes the book he did with Gonce where the Simon Necronomicon is concerned. He shows up their sloppy sophomorish scholarship, which was refreshing since Harms and Gonce were so smug and condescending. The reviewer who calls him/herself doms goals, though, is another matter. I don't agree that Simon should have written a book about how other people have used the Necronomicon. That's not really interesting. That kind of thing is so subjective and unverifiable and anyway you can find it all over the place on the Net so what's the point? By publishing the story behind the book Simon did all of us a service. He gave us a weapon to use whenever some other smug Harms-and-Gonce type comes our way and tells us the Simon Necronomicon is a fake. We can point to the newspaper articles and the documents and all the facts in there and challenge the naysayers. I can understand Harms being angry, he was bitch-slapped by Simon in this book. But doms goals? The remark that Simon needed money so he wrote a book is just stupid. All writers write because they need money. I mean Stephen King doesn't write for the Red Cross, right? He writes for his bank account. And no one complains. But all the other reviews by doms goals have been about S & M. What's that all about? Maybe he/she secretly wishes he/she was bitch-slapped, too? Read the book for yourselves. Make up your own mind. Dead Names rocks!