Product Description
The ultimate illustrated handbook on mushrooms. More than 1,000 handsome color photographs by Roger Phillips illustrate this comprehensive guide to mushrooms and other fungi of North America, in all their astonishing variety. Amateur collectors, expert mycologists and armchair naturalists will welcome the reissue of this valuable reference. Each photograph has a neutral background to eliminate distractions. The specimens are arranged to show the cap, stem, gills, spines, and a cross section, usually in various stages of growth. The information on each mushroom variety includes: - Dimensions of cap, gills and stem - Color and texture description of flesh - Description of odor and taste - Habitat and growing season - Description of spores - Categorization of edibility. Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America also includes useful tips and helpful advice on collecting specimens and identifying them. This book is the ideal introduction to mycology.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.5 based on 20 reviews)

A Mushroom Guide by Arnie C (Cincinnati, OH)

5 Stars
September 17, 2009
This is an excellent, superb reference on quality paper and detailed photos. The mushroom photos show both the cap and the gills. All are nicely sorted by genera and species for convenience. I do have two other guides, but they can't compare in quality to this top notch reference. It is well worth the price. Coloration and shape of mushrooms may change as they age so identification can be difficult even with this comprehensive guide.

nice but not perfect by J. A. Downs (tampa, fl)

4 Stars
September 06, 2009
I own several mushroom books, including most of the field guides. This book has been the most useful, but it is not perfect. I don't eat or smoke the mushrooms, so my interest is purely in photographing and identifying them. Here are my thoughts: The positives: 1. I live in Florida, and I have been able to find most of the larger species in this book. 2. For each species, it describes the cap, gills, stem, flesh, spores, habitat, season, and whether or not it is edible or poisonous. 3. There is a photo of each species described in the book. 4. It covers more species than most other books. 5. It is great for someone who wants to identify mushrooms with pictures rather than keys, more for general interest than eating them. The negatives: 1. There is no key to species--just pictures and descriptions--which is necessary for someone who intends to eat the mushrooms to verify identification. 2. The pictures are only just average quality. 3. The book is big and heavy--I wouldn't take it in the field with me. 4. Polypores are undercovered, as are a number of southern mushroom species. 5. Many of the exact pictures in the book can be found on Roger's mushroom website, so the website could be used instead of the book. Overall, I am happy I bought the book, and I think it's a nice addition to my library.

Excellent identification tool with minor drawbacks. by Kersi Von Zerububbel (San Diego, CA USA)

4 Stars
December 10, 2008
To date this is the BEST 'mushroom identification book' that I own. I have used this book for the last 17 years and it has not let me down save for a couple of instances. I have the 1991 paperback edition that is quite easy to tug along on vacation, field trips, and back yards. Yes, the size makes it a tad inconvenient on long trips but having large, clear pictures and the identification points on the same or the page next to the picture makes rapid identification a lot easier. So in my opinion this more than makes up for the large size problem. The author does state that for an accurate identification the ENTIRE specimen should be uprooted to use the base, spore colors etc as identifying points. Please be aware that in many parks and private property areas uprooting specimens is prohibited except by permission. The pictures are quite clear and the author has identification keys that make the text very easy to follow. There are a couple of issues that I wish were fixed. First, the pictures are not taken in the field but in a studio with a bluish grey background. This helps because ALL parts of the mushroom are clearly visible but the background used diffues the color scheme of the specimen. In most cases this is no big deal I was easily able to identify specimens but in some cases I was led down the wrong path. Secondly, the key does not contain all specimens but that is understandable. All in all I am very happy that I chanced upon this book in 1991. It has served me well all these years. In fact just this morning while working on my sprinkler heads I used this book to identify a specimen I had not seen before. I have checked out the new edition which is in hardback but I prefer my old reliable companion so I'll just keep it.

A Mycologist's Dream book by Arnold Christian (Blue Grass, IA)

5 Stars
September 28, 2008
I have a small library of dichotomous key books that I have collected over the 15 years I have been interested in mushrooms and this is the best new book on mycology I found it via the Prairie State Mushroom Club in Iowa that I am a member of. It has brief but valuable biological descriptive info supplemented by great photos showing immature button to mature stages of the 5 major genera: Amanita, Lacterus,Cortinaarius, and Boletus. In addition, it states for each species whether it is edible,not recommended, non-edible/poisonous. A good glossary and beginner's key of nomenclature and methods of spore,pilus,stipe identification. A "must have" book for any amateur or professional fungalist. Arnold Christian, Blue Grass, IA

Terrific book! by C. Sharp (Dayton, Ohio)

5 Stars
December 13, 2007
This book has a ton of great pictures and descriptions. I bought this book for my fiance who is a mushroom inthusiast. There were many times when we would be taking a walk and he would wonder if mushrooms we saw were edible. He keeps the book in his car, and it's a great reference guide. The descriptions let us know where to expect certain mushrooms, if they are edible or not, and what they taste like. I highly recommend this book for new mushroom hunters!

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

Mushrooms Demystified
by David Arora (Author)

Nothing is more elusive and mysterious than the wild mushroom. David Arora celebrates the gathering and study of wild mushrooms with engaging style, wit and simple terminology. Mushrooms Demystified includes descriptions, photographs, and keys to over 2,000 species. There is a Beginner's Checklist of the 70 most distinctive and common mushrooms plus detailed chapters on terminology, classification, habitats, mushroom cookery, mushroom toxins, and the meanings of scientific mushroom names.

North American Mushrooms: A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi (Falconguide)
by Dr. Orson K. Miller Jr. (Author), Hope Miller (Author)

A Field Guide to Mushrooms: North America (Peterson Field Guide Series)
by Kent H. McKnight (Author), Vera B. McKnight (Author), Kent H. McKnight (Illustrator)

More than 1,000 species of mushrooms described in detail. Over 700 paintings and drawings reveal subtle field marks that cannot be captured into photographs.

Mushrooms of Northeast North America: Midwest to New England
by George Barron (Author)

A full-color photographic field guide to mushrooms and fungi of the northern United States, from the Midwest to New England. Featured in USA Today, this must-have reference has spectacular photos and excellent species information.

100 Edible Mushrooms
by Michael Kuo (Author)

With a dash of humor and a dollop of science, Michael Kuo selects the top 100 mushrooms best suited for cooking. Like Kuo’s very popular book Morels, 100 Edible Mushrooms is written in the author’s inimitable, engaging, and appealing style, taking the reader on the hunt through forest and kitchen in search of mycological pleasures and culinary delights.