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This book introduces you to the fungi kingdom, from familiar mushrooms to unicellular yeasts. It examines the types of fungi, their reproductive methods, and how they feed. It also looks at modern uses of fungi, as well as how fungi recycle dead organic matter into useful nutrients. Did You Know? &&/UL&& There are about 100,000 species of fungi.Some fungi digest their food outside of their bodies.Not counting tree roots, 90 percent of all living matter in forest soil is made up of fungi.

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Science / Life Sciences / Biology / General; ... Read more

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The role of fungi in the Irish potato famine, in the Salem Witch Trials, in the philosophical writings of Greek scholars, and in the creation of ginger snaps are just a few of the many great moments in history to grace this resource on mushrooms and molds. 59 illustrations, 16 in color.Amazon.com Review
Oh, to be young and eligible to enroll in Professor GeorgeHudler's "Plant Pathology 101" class at Cornell! For those of us whoaren't, this book is the next best thing--a hugely entertainingintroduction to spore lore. Not only does he bring us up to speed onthe fungus science, he relates the amazing impact of his branch ofscience on human history. The Eleusinian Mysteries that so inspiredPlato and Sophocles were probably caused by ergot, which Tim Leary andthe CIA put to scarier use in its refined form, LSD. Other fungalproducts are more upbeat: penicillin (Hudler tells a good story aboutBritish scientists who put its spores on their clothes in 1940, topreserve their research in case Germany invaded), cyclosporins, whichpermit such organ recipients as David Crosby not to reject theirhealthy new livers, and Beano, a derivative of alpha-d-galactosidasethat suppresses flatulence in humans. Want to commit the perfectmurder? Try aflatoxin, as a Graham Greene character does in The HumanFactor. Do you dare to recreate the hallucinations of theSalem witches? Ergot's just the thing, as characters discover to theirmisfortune in Robin Cook's thriller AcceptableRisk. Hudler packs plenty of intriguing stories into a brief,readable book: exploding artillery fungus, spores spread byearthquakes that can cause anorexia, a 35-acre spread of1,500-year-old identical mushrooms in Michigan that may be the oldest,biggest living thing on Earth. No question about it--Dr. Hudler is onefun guy. --Tim Appelo ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Excellent Book, an easy and interesting read!
This book is an excellent initial book on the history of mysterious mushrooms and myschievious molds.I actually spent some time with the author of this book, and must say, the book does a great job of conveying his narrative voice and deep insight into the subject.It is an excellent leisure book because it is insightful, entertaining, and broken up into discrete chapters on different subjects.All around, I recommend everyone with an interest in biology, science, and trivia should read this book and keep it on their shelf.

This book is great!
This book is easy to read, humor keeps it upbeat and interesting.

There's Fungus Among Us!
This book is a great beginning reader about Fungi.It covers mushrooms, molds, and yeasts and gives an overview of what is a fungus, fungus biology, and fungus reproduction.Then he starts telling fascinating stories about fungus that illuminate their nature: the story of penicillin, how yeasts are used to make beer and wine and bread, how ergot (a fungus that grows on rye) probably resulted in periodic "witch" episodes in Europe and then in America, psychedelic mushrooms, fungus compounds, and on and on.I should add even if you think you know the penicillin story, he gives many fascinating details that you may not be familiar with.

This book fascinated me and was engrossing.It is written in a way that is very accessible and geared to the novice.I think anyone with a rudimentary interest in biology or science will like it.

You'll feel like a kid again reading this...
I was inspired to pick up this book when I first heard about slime molds; although it only just touches on the topic of slime molds, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!

True to it's name, this book really takes you into the bizarre world of mycology, integrating historical, religious, counterculture, and scientific themes into one well-woven tapestry. This book will make you want to become a mycologist; I felt like I was a kid again, discovering an entirely new and exciting world. I very much recommend this book-- it will renew your sense of wonder in the world, and lead you to poke at old leftovers with a sick sense of delight!

solid introduction to mycology
The fungi are enormously important organisms in nearly every ecosystem, but their importance is rarely fully appreciated. Besides that, they are a fascinating life form, as mind bending as any creature from science fiction.

This book is a very brief introduction to fungi. The topic itself is fascinating, so it is no problem that the writing is only a tad better than typical academic writing.

Hudler covers:

* the structure of fungi and their classification

* their life-cycles and reproduction, spore travel including exploding cups

* the Armillaria bulbosa, the world's largest living organism and one of its oldest

* the fungus that caused the Irish potato famine

* the possibility that Joseph's famine in Exodus was caused by rust

* the origin of ginger snaps

* Dutch Elm disease and other tree diseases

* Ergot, which probably caused the hallucinations of the Salem witch trials, and maybe the experience of the Eleusinian mysteries in ancient Greece, and from which we make LSD

* fungus and problems of food storage

* athlete's foot, ringworm, yeast infections and thrush

* penicillin (the details of its discovery and the growing resistance of microbes), shiitake and other mushrooms from Asian medicine; and of course Beano

* yeasts in baking and brewing

* brief look at edible mushrooms and poisonous ones

* magic mushrooms

* wood decay

* symbiosis with insects (leaf-cutter ants, termites and ambrosia beetles); and fungi that prey on insects, including houseflies and the gypsy moth

* symbiosis with plants, especially mychorrhizae

* lichens, which are generally symbiosis between fungi and algae (plants), but in some cases the fungi are evidently parasites (and this was interesting news to me!); the possibility that the Biblical manna from heaven was a lichen; and lichens that store and concentrate radioactive caesium, which are eaten by reindeer, which are eaten by humans, leading to radiation poisoning; and lichens as sources for oils, dyes and perfumes

Other reviewers are obviously raving about this book, but it has much too little detail for my taste. It's target audience is everyone, so the author backed away from scientific information which would have made the book much, much more fascinating. However, as an introduction to fungi for people with little or no scientific background, this book is perfect. ... Read more

Product Description
Most concise, readable book on the art of extracting psilocybin from magic mushrooms. Includes closet production and explains small and large scale production. How to locate magic mushrooms, develop stock for inoculation, cultivate, harvest, and dry 'shrooms.Explains how mycelium can be grown in inexpensive jars and methods of extracting and using existing cultures to seed new one to create an ongoing farm yielding a regular crop of hallucinogenic mycelium. Suppliers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Misinformation from the ignorant.
This book is filled with misinformation.It is clear that he has no experience growing mushrooms.Several procedures have zero chance of success and are fundamentally flawed and the others are outdated techniques.

He likes to write in a confusing style that makes it sound like he knows what he's talking about, when in fact he does not.

Psilocybin Production in a Small Room
I found this book to be very informative as I usually have a brown thumb when trying to get anything to grow. This book takes you step by step on your way to growing the plants from sprouts to nice little mushrooms. It gives you lots of knowledge on the use of the substance grown and how to produce it using very little space.

DON'T BUY THIS BOOK
This book is useless. The book contains information that only a scientist would use, but the book is written so poorly that one wouldn't use it. The book contains about 3 pages of information on growing mushrooms, the rest of the book is talking about setting up like a 1000sq.ft. lab and extracting psilocybin to make acid, with chemicals that you can't even get!

Just so we are clear, THIS BOOK DOES NOT CONTAIN MUSHROOM GROWING INFORMATION.

BEGINNER BASICS
This book is good for anyone who has interest in the topic but is not familiar with it. Pretty Short, but in general a good book. Very interesting although you may need more sources to start on growing mushrooms.

Short, found out some info, confused by the rest...
This was an interesting little read, though I don't know if I learned much useful information except that raising mushrooms seems to be a super-tedious task. The author writes as if the reader is supposed to know what the heck he's talking about, but I sure didn't.Perhaps someone with some laboratory know-how would find this book informative, perhaps not.Since I'm not a lab person, I don't know if his methodology is practical or not. ... Read more

Product Description
This is a new edition of the clearest, most authoritative guide to mushrooms you will find. From the False Oyster to the Green Stain, discover over 500 species of mushrooms in the wild. 2,300 incredible photos, precise annotations and detailed descriptions, including everything from mushroom shapes to the color of their spores, will help you to identify different species quickly and easily. It covers every different type of habitat favoured by each mushroom variety and species, so you'll be able to plan your hunting in advance. It is perfect for nature lovers - pocket-sized so you can take it out in the wild searching for mushrooms. ... Read more

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Contains close-up photographs of over 500 species of mushroom, a species separate from both the plant and animal kingdoms. The book examines each species of mushroom from a variety of angles with illustrations which show their fruiting habit and place them in their natural environment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Seller
The seller had advertised this book as in very good condition, but when I received it, I found that the spine/binding had been broken.The seller took no responsibility for shipping the inferior product ... Read more

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"This book is intended for those who, though ignorant on the subject, desire to know something about mushrooms. The first question which such an one asks upon finding a mushroom is, "What is its name? " If there is no one near to tell him, then follows the second inquiry, "How can I find it out for myself? " If wild flowers were concerned, Gray's little book, "How the Plants Grow, " could be used; and there is also Mrs. Dana's book on "The Wild Flowers, " that has given so much pleasure. In the case of mushrooms, however, but one answer can be returned to all questions: "There is no American textbook on mushrooms, there is no manual for beginners. "" ... Read more

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Are the red ones poisonous? Can you eat a puff ball? Our questions about mushrooms are legion. This handy guide offers many of the answers. Their seasons, colours, sizes, characteristics, and especially their edibility are dealt with in succinct detail, and coloured photographs offer additional help in identification. Many mushrooms should be collected only by camera -- but these ones are clearly noted in the text. Those which make such delightful additions to gourmet meals are here too, complete with hints on how to cook them and herbs to add. Whether you are mycologist (a person who studies mushrooms) or a mycophagist ( a person who likes to eat wild mushrooms), this is an invaluable filed guide. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good field guide for edible mushrooms
Great book, sized for easy packing in a knap sack (5.5 x 8.5).It's the nice photographs with complete descriptions that makes this the right book to pick edible mushrooms, or collect mushroom photos and know what you have.Although this book is geared for the New England Region, it also is applicable to the Northeastern US and Canada.His details include: cap color, edibility, size, spore print, shape, gills, texture, flesh, stalk, habit/habitat, distrubution and season, with photo of each.One to keep if you can find it. ... Read more

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Mushrooms are among the most intriguing and striking inhabitants of the natural world, as highly regarded for their distinctive flavors and uses in cooking and medicine as for their sometimes strange, often beautiful shapes and forms. Some are medicinal, others poisonous or even lethal. Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of the World is a well-rounded look at mushrooms, including their cultivation, ethnobotanical uses, and the fascinating roles they play in nature. The authors provide expert advice on how to identify and distinguish between edible and poisonous wild mushrooms and how to record important details, with suggestions for taking photographs and preparing spore prints. More than 250 stunning photographs accompany the text. Truly international in its coverage, this engaging introduction to the world of mushrooms will appeal to naturalists, students, photographers, chefs, hikers, and potential growers from around the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Good all around book on Wild Mushrooms
After a long intro there is lots of information on how mushrooms are cultivated. The bulk of this book is information about and pics of various wild mushrooms. As a field guide its semi-usable but I'm sure there are books out there that are better suited for that job. Granted I am a sub-novice at this stuff but I was only able to identify with 75% certainty three different types of mushrooms that I ran across in soccer fields and parks close to my home. The best thing in this book for me though was the beautiful photographs of various mushrooms in their natural habitat.

Pretty good
I got this book primarily for its photos and general information.That pretty much sums up the book.

If you want a guide book get "Mushrooms Demystified" - Great book.

If you want to read about and take a look at some interesting and beautiful mushrooms, get this book.

Its good in that it has a lot of general information (ie mushroom cultivating) but I would never use this book alone to properly identify a mushroom, nor to use in the field.

Instead it is a good book to take a look at after using a proper guide to confirm that all the characteristics add up, and also to salivate at the hopes of finding some of the great edibles described within.

A Great Guide for the Mushroom Lover
I have read quite a few mushroom books in my course of book reviewing, but I would have to say this is one of the best. This book has great coverage on propagation, cultivation, identification and collecting. I like the decision to leave out mushrooms of unknown edibility becauseit makes the book much more manageable.
The photography is excellent. I liked the addition of habitat shots of where certain mushrooms grow. This would surely help anyone who is a collector.
This book stayed on track and didn't try to be all things to all people. For instance, in the cultivation section, they tell you what to read for more information depending on the type of mushroom.
This book has great information on all levels and is helpful guide for the novice to expert gardener. ... Read more

Product Description
Casing is an integrated part of mushroom compostecosystem and it supposed to trigger fruit bodyformation conducted by the bacterial communityresiding in casing soil. During this processsuccession of bacterial community from 0 day stageto harvesting stage has been taken place. Mycelium- impregnated stage of both the casing layers(FYM+SC; FYM+VC) exhibited significant variation innutritional status than other stages. Morphotypesrecovered from mycelium-impregnated stage of FYM+SCand FYM+VC showed higher functional diversity thanother stages.Acinetobacter sp. was highly prominent incasing layer compared Pseudomonas sp. identified by16S rDNA partial gene sequencing. However,endotrophic population comprised largely ofBacillus sp. Maximum variation in functionaldiversity during substrate utilization was observedfor FYM+SC (2:1), followed by FYM at 0 day stage;it was higher for FYM followed by FYM+SC (2:1)atharvesting stage. A significant variation wasobserved in nutritional status of casingcombination for mycelium-impregnated stage. ... Read more

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High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A mycotoxin is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by an organism of the fungus kingdom, including mushrooms, molds, and yeasts. [1][2] The term 'mycotoxin' is usually reserved for the toxic chemical products produced by fungi that readily colonize crops. Most fungi are aerobic (use oxygen) and are found almost everywhere in extremely small quantities due to the minute size of their spores. They consume organic matter wherever humidity and temperature are sufficient. One mold species may produce many different mycotoxins and/or the same mycotoxin as another species. Where conditions are right, fungi proliferate into colonies and mycotoxin levels become high. The reason for the production of mycotoxins is not yet known; they are neither necessary for growth nor the development of the fungi. The production of toxins depends on the surrounding intrinsic and extrinsic environments and the toxins vary greatly in their severity, depending on the organism infected and its susceptibility, metabolism, and defense mechanisms. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION CORRECT
High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A mycotoxin is a toxic secondary metabolite produced by an organism of the fungus kingdom, including mushrooms, molds, and yeasts. [1][2] The term 'mycotoxin' is usually reserved for the toxic chemical products produced by fungi that readily colonize crops. Most fungi are aerobic (use oxygen) and are found almost everywhere in extremely small quantities due to the minute size of their spores. They consume organic matter wherever humidity and temperature are sufficient. One mold species may produce many different mycotoxins and/or the same mycotoxin as another species. Where conditions are right, fungi proliferate into colonies and mycotoxin levels become high. The reason for the production of mycotoxins is not yet known; they are neither necessary for growth nor the development of the fungi. The production of toxins depends on the surrounding intrinsic and extrinsic environments and the toxins vary greatly in their severity, depending on the organism infected and its susceptibility, metabolism, and defense mechanisms.

ALL OF BOOK FROM WIKIPEDIA ... Read more

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"No general test can be given by which a poisonous mushroom may be distinguished from an edible mushroom. But each species of fungus has certain marks of identity, either in appearance, quality, or condition of growth, which are its own, and never radically varied; none can contain a venomous element at one time, and yet be harmless under other conditions. Like other food, animal or vegetable, however, mushrooms may, by decay or conditions of growth, be unfit for table use; yet in this state no fatality would attend such use. " ... Read more

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"The author of this book makes no claim to the discovery of the facts presented. The material has all been drawn from monographs written by men who have made specialties of the different divisions of fungi. A list of works consulted is given at the close of this book. The plates are reproductions of photographs made by Mr. J. A. Anderson, and coloured by Miss H. C. Anderson. They are as true to nature as it is possible to make them with the best methods of reproduction now known, and by them alone an acquaintance with many species may be acquired. " ... Read more