A.k.a.
Al Azif, described in numerous
of
H. P. Lovecraft's short stories,
most notably the ones related to
the
Cthulhu mythos.
It was supposedly written
in
Damascus in 730 AD
by
a mad arab,
Abdul Alhazred
(or reportedly more correctly
Abd al-Azrad), and
is an ancient tome of
black magic, said to be so
disturbing that merely reading it
can render a grown man
insane.
A number of
fake versions
are available, some of which are
quite an amusing read.
It also plays a leading role in the movies
Evil Dead 1 and 2,
Army of Darkness and
Cast a Deadly Spell.
Many authors besides Lovecraft have mentioned the book - especially contributors to the Cthulhu Mythos, e.g.
Frank Belknap Long, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Bloch,
Henry Kuttner, Colin Wilson and John Ramsey Campbell.
See Lovecraft's essay History of the Necronomicon for the full history of this obscure tome.