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All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms Paperback – February 1, 1991
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Mushrooms appeal to all kinds of people—and so will this handy pocket guide, which includes key information for more than 200 Western mushrooms
Over 200 edible and poisonous mushrooms are depicted with simple checklists of their identifying features, as David Arora celebrates the fun in fungi with the same engaging bend of wit and wisdom, fact and fancy, that has made his comprehensive guide, Mushrooms Demystified, the mushroom hunter’s bible.
“The best guide for the beginner. I’d buy it no matter where I lived in North America.”—Whole Earth Catalog
- Print length263 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherTen Speed Press
- Publication dateFebruary 1, 1991
- Dimensions4.04 x 0.59 x 6.99 inches
- ISBN-100898153883
- ISBN-13978-0898153880
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Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Mushrooms are the reproductive structures or "fruit" of certain fungi. The most familiar kind of mushroom has a cap with gills (radiating blades) on its underside. Millions of microscopic reproductive units called spores are discharged from the gills and dispersed by air currents. Only a small percentage of spores land in a favorable environment, where they germinate to form new fungi.
Fungi do not manufacture their own food like plants. In this respect they are like animals: they must obtain food from outside sources. The part of the mushroom fungus that digests nutrients is an intricate web of fine threads collectively called the mycelium (plural: mycelia). The mycelium may live anywhere from a few days (in perishable substrates like dung) to several hundred years, periodically producing mushrooms when enough moisture is available.
Mushrooms, or more exactly the fungi that produce them, are a vital and omnipresent part of our environment. Despite their bad press, the overwhelming majority are beneficial. A few are parasitic, feeding on living organisms, usually trees. The rest are either saprophytic or mycorrhizal. Saprophytic fungi are nature's recyclers. They replenish the soil by breaking down complex organic matter (wood, dung, humus, etc.) into simpler, reusable compounds. Mycorrhizal fungi form a mutually beneficial relationship with the rootlets of plants in which nutrients are exchanged. They are critical to the health of our forests, as many trees will not grow without them. (Since some mycorrhizal mushrooms are associated with certain kinds of trees, make a habit of noting the different trees growing in the vicinity of any mushroom you wish to identify.)
Despite the many benefits and uses of mushrooms, most North Americans are markedly fungophobic, a trait inherited from the British. Fungophobia can be defined as the belief that mushrooms are actively hostile at worst and worthless at best. It is only in the last few years that large numbers of North Americans have begun to discover what the mushroom-loving peoples of Japan, China, Russia, and Europe have known for centuries: that these "forbidden fruit" are delicious and nutritious, vital and valuable, potent and beautiful, and that mushroom hunting is a challenging, enlightening, and uplifting activity.
How To Use This Book
Simple. Once you've collected a distinctive mushroom, consult the quick key to mushroom groups on the inside front and back covers, and go to the section of the book indicated. Flip through the pictures in that section until you find one that looks similar to your mushroom. Then carefully go through the numbered list of "Key Features" on that page, checking them off as you go so you don't inadvertently miss one. If your mushroom has all of the key features, then you have identified it! To verify your identification, check the details listed under "Other Features," "Where," etc.
If your mushroom does not agree with one of the "Key Features," assume it is different. First consult the section called "Note" at the bottom of the page for a possible explanation of the discrepancy or a listing of similar species, then continue searching the pictures for another likely candidate. If you can't find a photograph and set of key features that match your mushroom, there are two possible explanations.
The first is that your mushroom is a "freak"—an untypical example of an illustrated species, for instance one that has faded badly or lost its ring. By collecting several examples of each kind of mushroom you wish to identify, in different stages of development if possible, you are much more likely to gather at least a few typical, identifiable ones; then you can discard those that lack one or more of the key features unless you are experienced enough to recognize them. (Note: different kinds of mushrooms often mingle with one another; unless they are obviously the same, assume that they are different until you discover otherwise.)
The second, and more likely, explanation is that your mushroom is not in this book. After all, less than 10 percent of the known species from western North America are. You can return unidentified mushrooms to their place of origin, relegate them to the compost pile, or, if you are determined to know their identity, consult a more comprehensive guide such as Mushrooms Demystified, 2d ed. (1986).
Product details
- Publisher : Ten Speed Press; Later printing edition (February 1, 1991)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 263 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0898153883
- ISBN-13 : 978-0898153880
- Item Weight : 10.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 4.04 x 0.59 x 6.99 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #5,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #9 in Mushrooms in Biological Sciences
- #10 in Ecology (Books)
- #36 in U.S. State & Local History
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About the author

David Arora has taught micology for the last 15 years in California and has hunted and photographed mushrooms across the continent.
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Update Oct 29. I have since repurchased this book, and David Arora's Mushrooms Demystified[ MD], and Wild Edible Mushrooms of British Columbia. None are perfect. What I have come to realize is that you cannot rely on the "All that Rain Promises and More" by itself. I use the keys in MD because this book has many more mushroom genus and species identified. Its challenging to identify Agaricales (gilled mushrooms) with things like spore colour when choices are similar like light brown, brown, cinnamon, dark brown, purple-brown. So I am still leaving my feedback as 1 star because it left me short on proper ID. However it is a good resource. But not alone for a beginner. With COVID-19 there aren't many places to meet mushroom experts other than info online, so I don't have the experience in the field many of you may have learned. Getting there!
This particular, "all that the rain..." book covers a very limited amount of mushrooms and here is where I see problems:
The pictures are clearly taken in the 70ies. They are not true to color.
While there are "notes" for each mushroom, occasionally referring in them to similar species, the one, most important thing is missing: "Similar looking species" or "poisonous lookalikes"
The book describes mushrooms, but leaves out the distinguishing features. It doesn't even mention lookalikes. I consider this dangerous for the beginner.
That said, I thought I clearly identified one mushroom through the book, only to find out, it was another when looking at the UBC website.
However, the book has a lot of anecdotes of mushroom hunters and their finds, and even more, mostly silly pictures of people & mushrooms - but that could have been guessed by the cover of the book. I am very disappointed having lost perfectly fine $20 to poor advice.













