Alhazred's Necronomicon

The Necronomicon has become a kind of egregore in the modern world. It is the most notorious grimoire of all time, a notable achievement for a book that never existed. There is no historical evidence that such a book was written, yet tens of thousands of people believe it is real and claim to have seen copies in various libraries in Europe and America, or assert that they know someone who owns a true copy. The very weight of persistent belief in the book has lent it a kind of shadow life that makes the question of its reality difficult to answer with a simple yes or no.