by Giovanni Pacioni, Gary Lincoff (Editor)

Simon & Schuster's Guide to Mushrooms is indispensable to anyone fascinated by mushrooms and other fungi. Lavishly illustrated, it contains detailed information about 420 types of mushrooms and other fungi found in the United States and Europe. The comprehensive introduction provides general information on the structure, reproduction, life cycles, classification, and distribution of the various species and describes the individual parts of the fungus as well. The entries describe the appearance, habitat, and geographic distribution of each species of fungi. The easy-to-use visual key provides each entry with immediately recognizable symbols that indicate spore color, ecological environment, and whether the species is edible or poisonous. A glossary and analytical index, plus an Index to Genera for locating particular subjects, help make this the most beautiful, valuable, and authoritative book in the field.

A reader: 'I happen to love mushrooms and am very into identifying the ones that grow in my backyard. This book was a lot more helpful to me than any of the others I found. The beginning is extremely informative, and the species guide is huge-about 240 great pictures! No book can list every one, but this one covers a great many, especially common ones you're likely to see. Get it-it's a good buy.'

A reader: 'This book not only has clear color pictures of over 400 different kinds of mushrooms and other fungi, it also lists habitats, seasons when the listed mushrooms grow, and edibility. The book also explains the reproductive cycle of mushrooms, and how they help to break down organic matter into soil minerals. This book will not make you an expert on mushrooms, and I would not recommend collecting wild mushrooms for consumption because many deadly ones look very similar to edible ones, but all in all, this is the best book on the subject I have seen so far!'

Paperback - 511 pages