Al Azif (The Necronomicon).
Philadelphia, PA: Owlswick Press, 1973. First Edition Thus. Hardcover. Small quarto (10 1/4 x 7 1/4 inches). (x) + approx. 200 Unpaginated pp. Original grey cloth boards with red buckram spine. In keeping with books written in many semitic languages the pages read from right to left (thus to Western readers the book would appear to start "at the back.") Edition limited to 348 numbered copies - this being copy number 333 (in an interestng piece of synchronicity the gematria of the number 333 was identified by Aleister Crowley as "ChVRVNZVN" – Choronzon – "that mighty devil" he encountered in the course of "the Vision and the Voice" workings in 1909). The book itself purports to be a facsimile of an original text of the Necronomicon written in what was said to be the "Duriac" language of Northern Iraq. It is accompanied by a short 7 page Introduction by science fiction writer L. Sprague de Camp (which, along with the title-page and publication details, is the only English text in the entire book). In his Introduction de Camp describes how he came upon the text whilst visiting Baghdad in 1967. The text, the language, and the introduction are an amusing, if rather transparent hoax, drawn from Lovecraft's writings on "The Necronomicon." Corners of boards lightly bruised, boards quite darkened around the edges, page edges and outer margins yellowed. Overall a tight clean, VG+ copy, albeit one that by the yellowing to the covers and pages appears to have sat to close to the hell-fires at some stage (oddly, it has no scent of smoke). No dust jacket issued. Item #70699
ISBN: 0913896012
Sold