Journal of Simon Barrington
Es Sham Expedition, 1939
Sealed within an unmarked tomb deep within the sand-engulfed ruins of an ancient and forgotten city near Damascus, we discovered a small sarcophagus of black stone engraved with strange sigils and unknown hieroglyphics. The mysterious coffer held only a single treasure, a large book scribed in ancient Arabic, obviously an artifact of sacred or perhaps forbidden knowledge.
After countless months of translating the text of the crumbling relic, a dark and sinister truth began to reveal itself. The book held a revelation of ancient horrors and incantations with which to summon them forth. I soon realized that what we had unearthed from that lost, nameless city was the mythical Kitab al Azif, the "Book of Dead Names," otherwise known as the Necronomicon.
This was no mere copy of the book, this was the original version of the dreaded tome, penned by the hand of the mystic Abdul Alhazred, written in what I can only assume is his own blood.
The horrific contents of the book seem too astounding to perceive as fact and too grotesquely immense for the human mind to fathom, but as incredible as these tales may seem, the existence of the fabled Necronomicon can no longer be questioned, and there can no longer be any denying that the dark legends of the Elder races of our world are true.
Over the centuries, certain facts became clouded and were lost through the numerous translations, but this original copy of the Necronomicon sheds light upon that which was previously unknown.
Man is neither the oldest nor the last of Earth's masters. There is a darkness that dwells beyond the scope of our meager comprehension of life, death, time and space. It lies dormant within the deepest shadows of our world and lurks at the threshold of dimensions beyond, awaiting the time to rise again and lay claim to the Earth.
I curse the day that we discovered this book and have thought of destroying the diabolical tome on several occasions, however, some unknown force keeps me from doing so. But the incantations within this book must never be spoken, and the Dark Gods must never be awakened and released. I beseech you to destroy this book or guard it with your life. I pray that you will fulfill this dire task, for in the wrong hands, the rituals within could unleash nightmares beyond all imagining and bring about the downfall and annihilation of all mankind.