Originally released in 1977, the Simon Necronomicon is a purported grimoire written by an unknown author, with an introduction by a man identified only as "Simon" a possible alias of Peter Levenda. Materials presented in the book are a blend of ancient Middle Eastern mythological elements, with allusions to the writings of H. P. Lovecraft and Aleister Crowley, woven together with a story about a man known as the "Mad Arab" (itself derived from several stories by Lovecraft).