Miskatonic Arcihves

Forbidden books

Forbidden books in Lovecraft’s fiction preserve dangerous fragments of history, provide procedures that characters can attempt, and connect otherwise separate narratives. Their importance depends on what a particular reader does with them. A citation, a usable passage, an unreadable symbol and an annotated copy perform different roles; none requires the assumption that merely opening every such book automatically destroys the mind.

6 min read · 1,077 words