Collins Fungi Guide

[Toadflax]

Just been doing some research on fungi guide books (for my Christmas list) and discovered that Collins Fungi Guide, Buckzacki /Shields, which I believe is an updated version of the one that Xylaria rates highly and is currently out of print, is due to be available in November 2008.

Just thought this might be useful for people to know.



Geoff

 

[Kepis]

This one is quite good and was recommended to me by the tutor when i did my mycology course a couple a weeks back

Available from http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mushrooms-R...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196094529&sr=1-1

 

[spamel]

This one is quite good and was recommended to me by the tutor when i did my mycology course a couple a weeks back

Available from http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mushrooms-R...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196094529&sr=1-1

There is also a website as well.

http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/

 

[Kepis]

There is also a website as well.

http://www.rogersmushrooms.com/

Forgot about the site

 

[spamel]

If the website is anything to go by, the book should be great!

 

[Toadflax]

Thanks everyone, the Roger Phillips book is going on my Christmas list for this year. Web site does seem good too.


Geoff

 

[Kepis]

Personally, i think the book is better than the website

 

[xylaria]

Just been doing some research on fungi guide books (for my Christmas list) and discovered that Collins Fungi Guide, Buckzacki /Shields, which I believe is an updated version of the one that Xylaria rates highly and is currently out of print, is due to be available in November 2008.

Just thought this might be useful for people to know.



Geoff

I rate buczacki highly, because it was the first guide i learned to use, but it was printed 20 years ago. The well thumbed pages fall open where I want to, and guide on what to look for when IDing fungi is brillant. Courtecuisse was printed 9 years ago and I hate it. Where buczacki has a easy to use key that covers two pages, courtecuisse goes to completely unwieldy 70 pages. Most of the proper mycologists on wildaboutbritian dislike courtecuisse for a very wide number of reasons.

Field guides really are horses for courses. Personally a book should put order to the subject. Rogers does this very well. For picking for the pot a book needs enough detail to be safe in my opinion. So the edibily needs to be up to date and accurite, and look a likes need to be mentioned. Kingfisher and doring kingsley do very nice smaller guides, with good edibily advice. But there is limits to smaller books.

 

[match]

If you're looking for a smaller book, then I can recommend this one highly:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Field-Guide-Mushrooms-Britain-Europe/dp/1845374746/ref=pd_sim_b_img_8

I picked it up a wee while ago while flicking through pocket guides in a local bookshop - it has several things going for it.

Firstly, it has really good photos and illustrations - I find a lot of books are far too vague with their pictures, or have drawings that show the 'ideal' specimen, not the one you actually find on your travels.

Secondly, it has a main picture and 3-4 smaller pics of the important details, with numbers in the text that match the pictures. So the smaller pics might have a close-up of the stem, the gills, the environment, or the fungus in a younger or older form.

Thirdly, its cheap

Of course it has all the usual things like edibility markers, seasonal availability etc.

Of course, being a pocket guide it doesn't have everything, and if you're looking for a book to identify everything you find, you might want something a bit more detailed. However, if you want a book that will help you distinguish between similar fungi, or help you learn the characteristics of the more common edible, inedible and poisonous fungi, then this is the book for you.