North American Mushrooms, A Field Guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi

Dr. Orson K. Miller, Jr. and Hope H. Miller

This is the first guide I've seen that even comes close to give me the confidence to go 'mushrooming' on my own, and perhaps try eating what I find (although given the toxicity of some of these, we don't recommend eating anything without an expert's advice!). The photos are great, the text includes the details on what color the mushroom changes to when it is bruised and other more basic identification information. This is the first guide I've seen with a durability guarantee printed on the cover, ""If this binding fails, teh publisher will replace the book."" The 5 inch ruler on the back cover is in inches and centimeters. Contains keys, and more importantly for novices, both a pictorial glossary to illustrate the terms, and a regular glossary.

From the publisher: "With more than 600 brilliant color photographs, detailed line drawings, informative and illuminating descriptions, and critical identification keys, North American Mushrooms is the definitive guide to the fungi of the United States and Canada. This comprehensive book for expert and amateur alike offers tips on how, where, and when to collect wild mushrooms; suggestions for culinary uses; a section on mushroom toxins; and pictorial keys and glossaries to aid the user in precise identification. This is a must-have reference book for anyone interested in wild mushrooms, their uses, and their habitats.

About the authors:Dr. Orson K. Miller Jr. is one of the preeminent mycologists in the United States. His wife and research partner, Hope H. Miller, is the author of a wild mushroom cookbook."

Paper with a plasticized, guaranteed, cover, 584 pages, 6 x 9 inches,full-color photographs, b&w illustrations; May 2006.