In the Company of Mushrooms: A Biologist's Tale - Hardcover

An enthusiastic journey through mushroom lore and science. A charming memoir... "In the Company of Mushrooms" is 'science writing' (usually an oxymoron) at its very best. -- M. R. Montgomery "Boston Globe" One of the most enjoyable books that I've read in the last few years..."In the Company of Mushrooms" is more than just a book by a mycologist; it is a wonderful tale of one man's love of mushrooms, intelligently written with style and humor. I can't recommend this book enough. Full of curiosity, taste, and surprise, these ebullient forays into the nature of mushrooms are more than warm and appreciative. They are an invitation to--nay, immediate membership in--the grand fellowship and company of mushroom hunters. -- Roger B. Swain, Science Editor "Horticulture Magazine" Elio Schaechter has written an entertaining account of the arcane world of hunting and identifying wild mushrooms...Schaechter several times disclaims his book as a guide, and he is quite right. This book is not a guide to collecting mushrooms; rather, it is a guide to thinking about them. -- Margaret E. Guthrie "New York Times Book Review" "In the Company of Mushrooms" is an eclectic and arcane account of mushrooms in history and folklore, of their biology and importance in the environment, and of the characters who hunt and study them. From the use of mushrooms in the political murder of Roman Emperor Tiberius Claudius, to species nicknamed Laughing Jim and the Train Wrecker, the book fascinates from cover to cover, and will be as accessible to the lay reader as to the professional microbiologist. -- Ron Fraser "Microbiology Today UK " 'Crimini!' I exclaimed, halfway through this charming story of one man's love affair with mushrooms. 'Fungi aren't quite as yucky as I thought.'... A long with a wealth of lore about the natural history of fungi and the social history of the people who hunt them, Schaechter provides a lengthy list of clubs in the United States and Canada where amateurs can learn mycogastronomy firsthand. In short, here's a book where you're sure to find a good story with an uplifting morel. -- Laurence A. Marschall "The Sciences" A wonderful book by an amateur in the best meaning of the word. Schaechter makes a convincing case for E.O. Wilson's biophilia hypothesis--the suggestion of an inborn affinity human beings have for other forms of life. This book is not a field guide on how to distinguish edible from poisonous mushrooms; it is filled with stories about fungi and the people who study them (as he reminds us, story and history derive from the Greek work for 'learning by inquiry'). -- Felix Ba rlocher "Quarterly Review of Biology" Schaechter covers the whole mushroom: biology and life history, common wild and cultivated species, clubs and collecting, eating, and hallucinogenic and poisonous mushrooms. The author enthusiastically entertains and informs the reader with his worldwide experiences as a mushroom gatherer and gourmet and as a consultant to the Boston Poison Center...Not a detailed field guide, cookbook, or textbook, this work is an excellent choice for the curious but perhaps biology-deficient reader who would like to know a little more about mushrooms. This is a delightful book, written with enthusiasm, passion and humour. Elio Schaechter, a microbiologist by profession is also a naturalist whose ability to tell a tale and at the same time impart scientific information through his anecdotal style of writing is very refreshing. This book (the text of which is interspersed with line drawings and which includes some striking colour photographs at its centre) would make an excellent gift (or personal purchase) for any naturalist, but will be of particular interest to the amateur collector of fungi as well as the professional mycologist. A gem of a book, representing excellent value for money. -- Vicki Tariq "SGM Quarterly" fungus secretes?), this is a dream of a book. the lay reader as to the professional microbiologist. guide to collecting mushrooms; rather, it is a guide to thinking about them. curious but perhaps biology-deficient reader who would like to know a little more about mushrooms. [A] charming memoir...["In the Company of Mushrooms"] is 'science writing' (usually an oxymoron) at its very best. Elio Schaechter's "In the Company of Mushrooms" is likely to stoke the ardor of mushroom lovers; it's certainly bound to increase their knowledge of this most intriguing plant. personal purchase) for any naturalist, but will be of particular interest to the amateur collector of fungi as well as the professional mycologist. A gem of a book, representing excellent value for money.

In a style at once learned and quirky, personal and commanding, Elio Schaechter imparts the fascinating minutiae and the weighty implications of his subject - a primarily microscopic life form that nonetheless accounts for up to two tons of matter for every human on the planet. He shows us how fungi, the great decomposers, recycle most of the world's vegetable matter - from a blade of grass to a strapping tree - and thus prevent us from sinking under ever-accumulating masses of decaying matter. With the same expertise and contagious enthusiasm that he brings to the biology of mushrooms, Schaechter conveys the allure of the mushroom hunt. Drawing on his own experience as well as that of seasoned pickers and amateur mycologists, he explains when and where to find mushrooms, how they are cultivated, and how they are used in various cultures. From the delectable to the merely tolerable, from the hallucinogenic to the deadly, a wide variety of mushrooms are covered in this spirited presentation.