"The Book" is an unfinished short story by American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft, believed to have been written in late 1933.

[1] In the story fragment, the narrator is given an ancient book by a strange bookseller, and when he takes it home and examines it, weird and sinister events ensue.

In October 1933, Lovecraft wrote in a letter: I am at a sort of standstill in writing—disgusted at much of my older work, and uncertain as to avenues of improvement.

In recent weeks I have done a tremendous amount of experimenting with different styles and perspectives, but have destroyed most of the results.

)[1] "The Black Tome of Alsophocus", first published in New Tales of the Cthulhu Mythos (1980), is an attempt by Martin S. Warnes to complete "The Book".