Mushrooms: A Natural and Cultural History

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Mushrooms are loved, despised, feared, and misunderstood. They havebeen a familiar part of nature throughout human history and occupy a specialplace in our consciousness. Nicholas P. Money introduces the mythologyand science of the spectacular array of fungi that produce mushrooms, thehistory of our interactions with these curious and beautiful organisms, and theways that humans use mushrooms as food, medicine, and recreational drugs.

Mushrooms are not self-contained organisms like worms or beetles.They are fruit bodies, or reproductive organs, produced by fungi whosefeeding colonies, or mycelia, are hidden in soil or rotting wood. Thesecolonies support life on land by decomposing plant and animal debris,fertilising soils, and sustaining plant growth through partnerships calledmycorrhizas. Some of the fungi that produce mushrooms cause diseasesof trees and shrubs, and the airborne spores of others are a major cause ofasthma and hay fever. Mushrooms release so many spores into the atmospherethat they may affect local weather conditions and promote rainfall.Poisonous mushrooms were described by classical writers and ediblespecies were important in Roman cuisine.

Mushrooms became the objectsof scientific study in the seventeenth century. Pioneers of mushroom science have included paragons of eccentricity and their remarkable stories are celebrated in this book.

Reviews

A well written, authoritative and beautifully illustrated account of mushroom life and lore, leavened with humour. An ideal introduction to the most beautiful members of natures least understood kingdom. * Richard Fortey FRS, author of Life: An Unauthorised Biography *
A fascinating tour around the weird world of mushrooms and of the people who study them. As a botanist I learnt a lot about the natural world from the different perspective of these familiar yet obscure organisms. * Professor Roland Ennos, University of Hull *
Nicholas Money has done it again! Mushrooms is a masterful overview of mycology, written with clarity, wit, and affection. There simply is no better review of the subject out there. Mycophiles and gardeners really, anyone who seeks to understand nature in a deeper way will appreciate this excellent book. I know I do. * Eugenia Bone, author of Mycophilia: Revelations From the Weird World of Mushrooms *
In Mushrooms, one gets an introduction into this fascinating world of fungi and a few highlights of the personalities of those who study them. The text is well organized for readers with little or no biology background, and it is also well written . . . Overall, it is a how-to guide for the beginner studying mushrooms, and presents basic information on the biology and construction of fungi. This is enhanced by good illustrations using both modern photographs and also those derived from classic works . . . Recommended. * Choice *

Author Bio

Nicholas P. Money is Professor of Biology and Western Program Director at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He is the author of popular science books on fungi and other microorganisms including, The Amoeba in the Room: Lives of the Microbes (2014), Mushrooms: A Natural and Cultural History (Reaktion, 2017) and The Selfish Ape: Human Nature and Our Path to Extinction (Reaktion, 2019).