The Mushroom Book How to Identify, Gather and Cook Wild Mushrooms and Other Fungi [Hardcover]

Thomas Laessoe (Author), Anna Del Conte (Author), Gary Lincoff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1996

Filled with photographs of prized culinary fungi and notorious poisonious specimens, this book offers advice on where, when, and how to pick and prepare edible species.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The bulk of this North American edition is a field guide to 450 mushrooms. Entries include a brief description with a bulleted list of spore deposit, habitat, range, and fruiting. The author is a scientist experienced in mushroom education, and the information presented is accurate. A strength of this work is its color photographs; in each, the whole specimen is shown, accompanied by views from various angles to focus the user on important features. Illustrations depict a typical growing situation, and symbols help the reader quickly identify approximate size and edibility. Other sections provide beginning enthusiasts with an overview of mushrooms and give tips on collecting, preserving, and cooking. Twenty recipes from a cooking authority are included, but those seeking recipes may prefer David W. Fischer and Alan E. Bessette's Edible Wild Mushrooms of North America: A Field to Kitchen Guide (Univ. of Texas, 1992). Recommended for extensive fungi collections and libraries seeking to supplement currently held mushroom books.?Bonnie L. Poquette, Arthur Andersen, LLP, Milwaukee, Wis.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The ability to correctly identify mushrooms is, in many ways, an art in itself. With this profusely illustrated, helpful guide providing assistance, it should be possible to acquire a good deal of the skill necessary to differentiate between a delectable parasol mushroom and a species with a similar appearance, the green-gilled parasol, which is highly toxic if ingested. Bright, bold photographs and concise text together describe important features and enhance an extended graph provided for use as an identification key. The large format adds impact to the main body of material: an in-depth field guide that indicates whether a species is deadly poisonous, possibly edible, or a choice selection to include in gourmet recipes such as those featured in the final chapter. Alice Joyce

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: DK ADULT; 1st edition (July 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789410737
• ISBN-13: 978-0789410733
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 7.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #958,281 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for the beginner, November 3, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Mushroom Book How to Identify, Gather and Cook Wild Mushrooms and Other Fungi (Hardcover)

This book is an excellent book for a beginner in mushroom identification or a casual nature-lover. The colour photographs are pleasing to look at, which is always a bonus for a beginner; and the science is easy. It even has a section with recipes for any good fungi you find.

The points it falls down on are its lack of text detail about each fungus, it does not include gill type or smell etc. Also the key is not suitable for use in the field because the spore colour is a major part of it, which is not readily observed in the field. But of course this isn't really a field guide, it is far too big to take out(although having said that I have done so).

Overall this is a very good book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great starter book, October 20, 2002

By 

itscath (Calgary, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mushroom Book How to Identify, Gather and Cook Wild Mushrooms and Other Fungi (Hardcover)

I bought another book on mushroom identification at the bookstore. I didnt "plan" to buy it when I was there but I had always been secretly curious about wild mushrooms. That first book wasn't all that good so it led me to the local library in search of better illustrated and more detailed mushroom books. This book has great pictures and discriptions. I was simply amazed at the amount and quality of wild mushrooms available close to my home. As it turns out this is one book that is directly related to my new mushroom collecting obsession. In a very short time I was comfortably collecting many varieties of wild mushrooms. Now, I want this copy for myself!

4.0 out of 5 stars Mushroom Lovers, September 21, 2009

By 

S. Weintraub (Oregon USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Mushroom Book How to Identify, Gather and Cook Wild Mushrooms and Other Fungi (Hardcover)

I have been a mushroomer for many years. I am always looking for good books to help me increase my knowledge. The pictures are well-done. They are larger than in most books making it easier to learn the characteristics of each mushroom. The way they size each mushroom is unique. They show it in relationship to the human hand. That really helps to relate the size to something we always have with us. This is a good book to have in your collection. It is not a definitive volumn, but certainly adds to the information of mushrooms.