Synopses & Reviews
"This little book is big fun."— Michael Pollan
An illustrated mini-encyclopedia of fungal lore, from John Cage and Terrence McKenna to mushroom sex and fairy rings
Fungipedia presents a delightful A–Z treasury of mushroom lore. With more than 180 entries — on topics as varied as Alice in Wonderland, chestnut blight, medicinal mushrooms, poisonings, Santa Claus, and waxy caps— this collection will transport both general readers and specialists into the remarkable universe of fungi.
Combining ecological, ethnographic, historical, and contemporary knowledge, author and mycologist Lawrence Millman discusses how mushrooms are much more closely related to humans than to plants, how they engage in sex, how insects farm them, and how certain species happily dine on leftover radiation, cockroach antennae, and dung. He explores the lives of individuals like African American scientist George Washington Carver, who specialized in crop diseases caused by fungi; Beatrix Potter, creator of Peter Rabbit, who was prevented from becoming a professional mycologist because she was a woman; and Gordon Wasson, a J. P. Morgan vice-president who almost single-handedly introduced the world to magic mushrooms. Millman considers why fungi are among the most significant organisms on our planet and how they are currently being affected by destructive human behavior, including climate change.
With charming drawings by artist and illustrator Amy Jean Porter, Fungipedia offers a treasure trove of scientific and cultural information. The world of mushrooms lies right at your door — be amazed
Review
"A delightful little introduction to the world of fungi....a whimsical 184-page A-Z miscellany that could be slipped into your back pocket....even seasoned mycologists will here find things to entertain and enlighten them." — Inquisitive Biologist
Review
"The author is a true snapper-up of unconsidered trifles, which he blends into erudite and cheery notes which will inform and entertain, amaze and (occasionally) repel you....I have never laughed so much over a serious book. And I learned a lot too." — Gillian Mawrey, Historic Gardens Review
Review
"There are writers who have the ability to astonish readers with each new page, such is their erudition, their wit, and their ability to turn a phrase. Millman is one such writer, providing in Fungipedia, a book that draws novices like me into mycology, but which also has tidbits, tiny morsels of trivia if you will, that will satisfy the more discerning palate of the experts among us." — David O. Born, Toadstool, newsletter of the Minnesota Mycological Society
Review
"If your fungal forays have been limited to identifying toadstools, this A-Z of the fungal kingdom, written with profound knowledge and wry good humour, will be a revelation." — Phil Gates, BBC Wildlife
Review
"[Millman] illuminates some obscure corners of mycology for sure, but better, he brings a kind of feisty joyousness to the endeavor that makes the facts feel fresh....As far as I am concerned, there can never be enough mushroom books out there. And I call this one a treasure." — Eugenia Bone, New York Mycological Society Newsletter
Synopsis
"This little book is big fun."--Michael Pollan
An illustrated mini-encyclopedia of fungal lore, from John Cage and Terence McKenna to mushroom sex and fairy rings
Fungipedia presents a delightful A-Z treasury of mushroom lore. With more than 180 entries--on topics as varied as Alice in Wonderland, chestnut blight, medicinal mushrooms, poisonings, Santa Claus, and waxy caps--this collection will transport both general readers and specialists into the remarkable universe of fungi.
Combining ecological, ethnographic, historical, and contemporary knowledge, author and mycologist Lawrence Millman discusses how mushrooms are much more closely related to humans than to plants, how they engage in sex, how insects farm them, and how certain species happily dine on leftover radiation, cockroach antennae, and dung. He explores the lives of individuals like African American scientist George Washington Carver, who specialized in crop diseases caused by fungi; Beatrix Potter, creator of Peter Rabbit, who was prevented from becoming a professional mycologist because she was a woman; and Gordon Wasson, a J. P. Morgan vice-president who almost single-handedly introduced the world to magic mushrooms. Millman considers why fungi are among the most significant organisms on our planet and how they are currently being affected by destructive human behavior, including climate change.
With charming drawings by artist and illustrator Amy Jean Porter, Fungipedia offers a treasure trove of scientific and cultural information. The world of mushrooms lies right at your door--be amazed
- Features a real cloth cover with an elaborate foil-stamped design
About the Author
Lawrence Millman is a mycologist and author of numerous books, including Our Like Will Not Be There Again, Last Places, Fascinating Fungi of New England, and At the End of the World. He has done mycological work in places as diverse as Greenland, Honduras, Iceland, Panama, the Canadian Arctic, Bermuda, and Fresh Pond in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he has documented 321 different species.
Amy Jean Porter is an artist, illustrator, and naturalist. Her illustrated books include Of Lamb and The Artists’ and Writers’ Cookbook, and her artwork has appeared in such publications as McSweeney’s and The Awl.
Michelle Carroll on PowellsBooks.Blog
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