Looking for mushrooms can be a lot of fun. for food enthusiasts, nothing better than harvesting your own from the wild, especially when you’ve discovered a secret patch in a local forest that possibly no one else has harvested yet. a big part of the magic is breathing in the earthy scent of the forest floor, selecting the perfect mushrooms from the bunch, leaving enough for other forest dwellers, and keeping the connection to our ancestors alive through this ancient skill.
Of course, there are some dangerous mushrooms out there, so knowing how to identify edible varieties of mushrooms is absolutely essential. however, once you’ve correctly identified and collected your produce, why not try some tasty recipes like mushroom soups, stews, pasta, and even muffins?
You are reading: Books on mushroom identification
here is our selection of the best mushroom identification books.
best mushroom identification books
mushrooms (collins gem) by patrick harding
Collins Gem Books is a great place to start if you want to learn more about a specific topic. And you’re in good hands here, as this one has Patrick Harding behind it, who spent over 25 years as a university professor and worked with the BBC.
Referring to over 240 different varieties of mushrooms and fungi, this detailed guide covers all the most common species in the UK and Northern Europe. harding details the key facts about each type and includes helpful illustrations to help you tell them apart.
collins complete british mushrooms and fungi by paul sterry, barry hughes
If you’re looking for a more detailed guide to fungi found in the UK, try this comprehensive guide from Collins. Unlike the shorter collins gem manual above, this larger resource focuses solely on mushrooms and british mushrooms and goes into more detail about each.
Also included are over 1,500 photos and an illustrated glossary to help you distinguish the different varieties. And, of course, there is a lot of detailed information about the size, shape, and color of each mushroom species.
roger phillips mushrooms
with three decades of work behind him, roger phillips is an expert in his field; in fact, he has sold more than 750,000 copies of his previous mushroom-focused book.
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This helpful resource, simply titled Mushrooms, has over 1,250 photographs inside, documenting the different varieties of mushrooms throughout their lifespan. After an introduction, visual index, and glossary, Phillips classifies fungi by type and reviews their identifying characteristics with lots of facts and figures.
geoff dann’s edible mushrooms
Complete with an introduction that explores the life cycle and evolution of mushrooms, this feeding guide is not only an excellent reference book for mushroom identification, but also an interesting resource. It’s also particularly useful for those new to foraging, as it includes a detailed guide for beginners and a list of the safest and easiest mushrooms to find.
Alongside the text are a host of helpful photographs and illustrations, making it easy to classify each type of mushroom. and you’ll also find helpful tips when it comes to complying with rural laws.
mushrooms (river cottage handbook) by john wright, hugh fearnley-whittingstall
This guide comes from brand Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, River Cottage and foraging expert John Wright. Throughout the book, Wright explores the 72 most common varieties of mushrooms in the UK and reveals his best tips for identifying and preparing them.
In addition, there is useful information on UK food laws and plenty of photos and illustrations to complement the text.
The final part of the book is devoted to the recipes you can make using your forage finds. the river cottage team has included over 30 delicious food options.
kew royal botanic gardens fungarium, katie scott and ester gaya
fungarium is part of the museum’s welcome book series, which covers a variety of topics from anatomy to astronomy.
here kew gardens senior researcher ester gaya provides a clear and engaging overview of the various types of fungi. Throughout his research trip, he spent time studying in Spain and the United States, before moving to the UK. now, she has two decades of experience behind her.
But one of the best features of this book is its large, vibrant images detailing the differences between individual species.
collins mushroom guide by stefan buczacki, chris shields, denyshornen
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This comprehensive book bills itself as “the most comprehensive field guide to the mushrooms and poisonous fungi of Great Britain and Ireland” and covers almost 2,400 different species. behind this complete guide is stefan buczacki, one of the best mycologists and horticultural scientists in europe.
Instead of providing real-life photos, this book provides detailed drawings to demonstrate the differences between fungal species. Inside, you’ll find countless images of young, fully grown fungi by noted mycological illustrators Chris Shields and Denys Ovenden.
larousse field guide to the mushrooms and poisonous mushrooms of britain and europe by david pegler
for more than 30 years, hobby mushroom pickers have used david pegler’s guide to brush up on their species identification skills. focuses on the information you need to safely harvest mushrooms, including notes on the appearance, location, and seasonality of different varieties.
This guide covers over 450 different species and has many helpful illustrations to help you learn. plus, there are also easy-to-spot “edibility” symbols, as well as details of similar-looking species.
- buy now on amazon (£11.54)
david pegler’s easy guide to edible mushrooms
If you’re looking for a good foraging companion, try the simple guide to edible mushrooms. Not only does it include lots of tips for finding safe mushrooms, but it also has helpful additions like tasty recipes, as well as information on poisonous and hallucinogenic varieties.
This manual is designed to be easy to use and follow, so it’s packed with helpful features like a mushroom calendar, identification charts, and photos and illustrations. In addition, David Pegler has included a crash course to help you become an expert forager.
- buy now on amazon (£14.29)
life tangled by merlin sheldrake
Far from being an identification guide or a reference book, Life Entangled delves into the importance of fungi and the surprising ways they affect the planet. is an engaging read, taking the reader through the various uses we have found for organisms and where they may lead us in the future.
merlin sheldrake’s 2020 book became a bestseller in the uk and garnered widespread media praise. If you’re interested in fungi and their place in the ecosystem, add this title to your reading list.
learn how to forage for puffball mushrooms in dorset.
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