Mushrooms of Northeastern North America [Paperback]

Alan E. Bessette (Author), David W. Fischer (Author), Arleen Raines Bessette (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 784 pages
• Publisher: Syracuse University Press (December 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815603886
• ISBN-13: 978-0815603887
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #191,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #36 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Plants > Mushrooms

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The One Indispensable Guide to Mushrooms in the North East, February 10, 2004

By 

Kathryn L. Evans (Caroga Lake, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mushrooms of Northeastern North America (Paperback)

I live in the NY Adirondack Mountains and have been collecting mushrooms for years, trying to identify them. I almost gave up, but then I bought the Bessette/Fischer book, and identifying mushrooms became not only possilbe, but fun. The photographs are terrific, great aids for identification and often beautiful as well. The keys for identifying mushrooms within a specific genus are very useful - no book has room to illustrate all species, but these keys allow identification of mushrooms that "nearly match" the illustrated species. The book is the most comprehensive guide to mushrooms found in northeastern North America that I have found. Some of the standard "North American" field guides are good, but they all contain a great many species not found in this part of the country, which doesn't leave enough room to cover all of the fungi species commonly found here. George Barron's and William Roody's regional guides are also excellent, but not quite as comprehensive. If you live in the northeastern U.S., this is the one Mushroom Field Guide that you can't do without!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the definitive volumes on northest mycoflora, August 24, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Mushrooms of Northeastern North America (Paperback)

MNNA is a very good book, and has the finest keys I have ever found in any work on mushrooms. However, I find its coverage of certain groups of fungi to be in want of more detail. For example, the avid Russula student will find that few species have been included. The book could use more information on various genera, especially those which are in need of detailed systematic analysis, and more comprehensive data on the taxonomy of included fungi, which has been very neglected. I hope that a future edition of this book may correct some of these problems. Nevertheless, I reccomend Mushrooms of Northeastern North America to all serious amateur mycologists, you will find it to be an indispensable reference.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must have supplement!, July 26, 2001

By 

"decker56" (Tivoli, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mushrooms of Northeastern North America (Paperback)

Alan Bessette is truly a great contributor to the field of mycology. Mushrooms of Northeastern North America is a fantastic book on its way to being the "bible" to species in the Northeast. A huge undertaking, Bessette does his best with a dichotomist key arrangement, making narrowing down the possibilities easier. Although aided by Fischers photographs, this guide is tremendously lacking quality, well organized, photographic detail. This book is not for the novice, as familiarity with mycological terms is necessary. I'm waiting for a new, up-to-date, thicker volume: MONNA revised.