Customer Reviews

Mushrooming without Fear: The Beginner's Guide to Collecting Safe and Delicious Mushrooms

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This book has some shortcomings. It doesn't cover many varieties of mushrooms, and it is ultra-conservative in the rules for collection. Still, for the beginner who wants to get out there and start hunting, this is the best book to start with.

Mushrooms Covered:

Cep or King Bolete
Red Cracked Bolete
Hen of the Woods
Larch Bolete
Bay Bolete
Birch Bolete
Chanterelle
Trumpet (Winter) Chanterelle
Hedgehog
Common Puffballs
Horn of Plenty
Cauliflower

Yep, that is the whole list. The good news is that these are all fairly common mushrooms, and some of the notes on each are really illuminating. For example there are tons of Boletes in the Pacific Northwest where I do my hunting, and telling them apart can be a real head scratcher. The photos and description of the white network on the stem of the King is very clear and makes identification almost foolproof.

Also, the section about ridges vs gills was helpful. Chanterelles have ridges and not gills, and since most hunters would love to bag some Chanterelles, this clear distinction is really helpful. The first time I was out with a guide we were looking for Chanterelles and I was told to look for ridges rather than gills. It sounds like a no-brainer when you say it, but in the field, when you are first starting out, it can actually get confusing. The three pages in this book that explain ridges are succinct and clear and about all you need to understand the distinction.

Maybe Alexander Schwab would consider doing a Mushrooming Without Fear 2 that would cover the same number of mushrooms this book does, but taking on some more challenging ones. My request would be for fairy Ring Mushrooms, Pine Mushrooms (White Matsutake), Aspen Bolete, Shaggy Mane, Oyster, and the Blewit.

I never write reviews although I have several books on mushrooming including a couple by Micheal Kuo which I also like very well.But I've decided that this book warrants my praise . It's a great little book with great color pictures and checklist guides for picking about 12 of the most popular varieties with the exception of Morels .
This book has taken away my fears about mushrooming and has even encouraged me and made me anxious to get started .
If after reading and following the guides in the book to the letter you happen to pick a poisonous variety,then you probably aren't following instructions.
I feel this book is almost a foolproof in it's simplicity you'll not be burdened with a lot of scientific jargain .
If you were ever curious about picking wild mushrooms but were afraid then BUY THIS BOOK

This book was for the most beginning of beginners. They say to stay away from any gilled mushrooms (I love gilled mushrooms). My other criticism is that the book doesn't mention morel mushrooms which are not a gilled mushroom and in my top 10 of all the most delicious of the fungi and not that difficult to id.

There are, indeed, hundreds of color pictures in this book (a must for field guides, in my opinion), and great step-by-step instructions. However, do not be misled... this is strongly oriented toward helping mushrooming beginners to get started. Only twelve (not 700+) types of mushrooms are identified, and while it seems to be a good selection I found myself wanting to be able to identify other mushrooms I've found, good or bad.

With all the pictures, this book is an easy read. I finished it in about an hour. The pictures and checklists are well organized.

In summary, I love the book and recommend it as a beginning mushrooming guide -- with caveats. It does a great (maybe overzealous) job of eliminating riskier candidates. However, even with the small number of mushrooms covered, it may be slightly oversimplified in spots. It would be discouraging to start into this hobby and not be able to find any of these twelve varieties, yet pass by other excellent candidates. Then again, you have to start somewhere...

Of the three mushroom reference books I purchased, I feel this one is the very best to help a person get started in the field. It is easy to read, has repeated warnings about what to harvest and what NOT to harvest, has pictures and is an all-around easy to use guide. I think every beginner should purchase this book. I do not think you will be disappointed.

This book has clear guidelines and excellent photographs. No nonsense and easy to follow. As novice mushroom seekers who really just want to find snacks, this is a solid book to start with. No morels included - but they're easy to ID. Only wish would be a smaller size to stuff in a backpack. Worthy purchase!

I'm new to mushrooming and this book helped me to be confident that I can do it! It is a very easy read. The directions are very clear. The pictures leave little doubt that you know what you are looking for in the wild. I'm excited to start finding some food.

If you are interested in mushrooming, and have no prior experience, this is where you should start. The book has excellent color photographs, a very straightforward identification system, and limits your exploration to only the safest, most identifiable families. Some will give it a lower rating because it is not comprehensive. But that is entirely the point. This guide will get you comfortable with the traits and identifying features of a range of mushroom types. You may not actually find any of the exact mushroom species in the book during your early forays, since there are only a couple dozen documented of the thousands of species to be found. But you will gain experience and confidence in examining mushroom traits, that you can then expand on with a more complete field guide.

This book is great for beginners just starting out on their journey of being a mushroom hunter. I ordered this book and found it to be very helpful in identifying edible plants. Would recommend this book to anyone serious about mushrooming.

This is the perfect book for the beginning mushroomer that hasn't a clue about what to look for. It's very thorough.