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David Arora

Mushrooms Demystified Paperback – October 1, 1986

by David Arora (Author)

359 ratings

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Simply the best and most complete mushroom field guide and reference book, MUSHROOMS DEMYSTIFIED includes descriptions and keys to more than 2,000 species of mushrooms, with more than 950 photographs. Mushroom authority David Arora provides a beginner's checklist of the 70 most distinctive and common mushrooms, plus detailed chapters on terminology, classification, habitats, mushroom cookery, mushroom toxins, and the meanings of scientific mushroom names. Beginning and experienced mushroom hunters everywhere will find MUSHROOMS DEMYSTIFIED a delightful, informative, and indispensible companion.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This is the be-all and end-all of mushroom books! Truly an encyclopedia of mushroom facts and lore, lavishly illustrated with full-color photographs, literally everything you need to know about mushrooms, edible or not. Arora has taught mycology for close to twenty years and has hunted and photographed mushrooms across the North American continent. Threaded through the book are his wry and humorous observations and comments, making what could have been a rather dull, "just-the-facts, ma'am" reference book into a really enjoyable read. The stunning photographs of the incredible variety of fungi are fascinating and eye-opening, and while the author gives clear and factual information, the mysterious allure of mushrooms in their countless shapes, sizes and colors is only increased by this huge and delightful book. --Mark Hetts

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An exceptional book . . . a must for intermediate and advanced mushroom collectors and those with wide horizons.-Cottage Life

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Product details

Paperback: 1056 pages
Publisher: Ten Speed Press; 2 edition (October 1, 1986)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0898151694
ISBN-13: 978-0898151695
Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 2 x 9.1 inches
Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 359 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,869 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #5 in Microbiology (Books)
- #20 in Zoology (Books)
- #13 in Mushrooms in Biological Sciences

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Jacues Francois

Not great for the Pacific Northwest: it's Black & White and Outdated

April 12, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book will sort of teach you how to read a key, but there are online resources that are much better. For example, in the Pacific Northwest where I live, there are two very good region-specific keys which can be found online:

The Svims Pacific Northwest Key Council and the Alpental Pictorial Key. Both can be found on google. The reason region-specific keys are better is because you won't ever find 90% of the mushrooms in this or any book when you are out foraging. Furthermore, in my area, the region specific keys are very good, in color, and they'll help you get better at identifying the specific families. I'd pass on this book, sadly.

I would, however, recommend All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms as a great field guide to carry around with you. Again, a lot of things you find will not be in there, but it's all in color, it's concise, and it emphasizes what you need to know to identify specific families.

45 people found this helpful

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Spunky 1

A must have!

December 26, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is amazing book. Don't wanna call it "the bible of shroom world" as some people may get offended, but that would be the best description. I wish it was the hardcover, but I will laminate the cover pages to last longer. After reviewing 7 books form the library and reviews on Amazon, I knew this would be a great book as many authors cite it (include Michael K on internet). It has a great description of mushrooms in N America, and if people say it does not have enough coloured photos, I say use more than one book as a (cross)reference. I usually use 5-9 before eating mushrooms we collect in wild. The book is very well written and in a humorous way, so it's not a dry boring material. What a great addition to my growing collection!! Thank you all who wrote great reviews which made it easier for me to pick it too!

10 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

This is a book for those who already have a lot of time invested in the scientific study of fungi and are able to decipher the 1000+ pages on the matter (albeit there is a fair amount of humor weaved within the mushroom descriptions that makes reading each passage more of an enjoyment than a task)

November 3, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is an incredibly extensive guide to mushrooms, which would serve the well-trained mycologist quite well. For a novice or even competent mushroom forager, this guidebook will likely be too frustrating and confusing to reference with trust. Most of the photos (except for a small section) are in black-and-white and of tolerable resolution, meaning that no photo can be truly helpful in determining the type of mushroom you have found. All the names in in scientific Latin form, which is professional...but near impossible to memorize for the reader without serious time dedication. This is a book for those who already have a lot of time invested in the scientific study of fungi and are able to decipher the 1000+ pages on the matter (albeit there is a fair amount of humor weaved within the mushroom descriptions that makes reading each passage more of an enjoyment than a task).

11 people found this helpful

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Arak

Still has a California slant

September 22, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

The preface notes that the first edition was for California, and the second is more comprehensive. While that is true, I found constant references to "in our area" (i.e. California) in "habitat" sections for various species. Maybe instead of "habitat" the section should have been titled "habitat and range" with the US divided into 5 sections and a brief indicator of the likelihood of finding the species in any of these areas. At any rate, the bias toward California distinctly remains. I'm not saying the book isn't something a mushroom hunter who doesn't live in California shouldn't have, but you'll probably want to find some mushroom hunting books with a slant toward your own region, especially if you're just starting out. Probably state mycological societies would provide some good material

2 people found this helpful

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traveled

Funny and Accurate - The BEST mushroom book out there

August 3, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

After buying "The Hip pocket guide to Western Mushrooms" by the same author, I knew I had to get his most famous book. My family and I love to collect mushrooms, it's our fall tradition.

As for the book itself, the keys are excellent. We keyed out several species and groups on a recent trip that we just could not identify using any other guidebook. The book is intuitive to use. I taped in some bookmarks for the keys and major groups which makes it even more useful. The funny writing makes it a joy to have along. Plus the species descriptions are accurate, well written and information rich.

It's a weighty tome though, so it stayed in camp while we were out hiking. Then, later we'd identify the two or three species unknown to us that we collected. My other guides were no help at all, either having no good keys, or none at all. It took less than a minute with this book to ID them. It also has a beginner's section that looks excellent. Every other collector we've met also seemed to have a copy. Finally we have our own:) Get it!

7 people found this helpful

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Richard Lighty

This book is the best I've found

December 29, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book is the best I've found, even though it is written primarily for the west coast and I live in the east. The author is opinionated and possesses a good sense of humor, but he knows his stuff. I like the keys, although they are as subjective as any in the mycological world, so there is an element of art and interpretation in using them. The only quarrel I have is that the photos are too few and too limited. One should be able, after going through the keys and word descriptions, to find an image that reinforces the almost always tentative identification. The upshot is, it is the best thing I've found for putting a name on a fungus.

8 people found this helpful

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nicholas j iamon

The Bible of foraging mushrooms!

July 2, 2018

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

A must have for nerdy mushroom lovers or serious foragers. The bible of mushroom identification and information. For foraging mushrooms it is wise to have a few books. I have been foraging for about 10 years on the east and west coast. I have about 8 or so different ID books. I usually look at certain others first because they have less mushrooms and better color pictures but cross reference mushrooms I'm not as sure of with this book or look through if other boos don't have ones i find (All That The Rain Promises and More, the companion book, is the other must have mostly for the west coast). It gives you more possible look a likes and more in depth information. I have had 3 copies of this book, i buy used ones i see and give them to interested friends. It can be overwhelming looking for mushrooms with this book but if you are going to try to eat a mushroom you should be certain and this book will give you the best possible information to keep you safe. There are tons of fun facts in this book as well even if you don't forage.

2 people found this helpful

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