Mushrooms: A Natural and Cultural History

Mushrooms are loved, despised, feared and misunderstood. This is true of many other groups of organisms – sharks are loved, despised and so on – but the fruit bodies of fungi occupy This is true of many other groups of organisms – sharks are loved, despised and so on – but the fruit bodies of fungi occupy This is true of many other groups of organisms – sharks are loved, despised and so on – but the fruit bodies of fungi occupy through fairy tales, films and video games. Widespread familiar-ity with mushrooms provides an audience for the study of fungi,or mycology, but a great deal of remedial work is necessary to counter misconceptions about these fascinating organisms. This book introduces mushroom mythology and science, the history of our interactions with these fungi, and the ways in which humans use mushrooms as food, medicine and recreational drugs. The natural history is supplemented with profiles of the mycologists who advanced the study of the fungi. As paragons of eccentricity, these individuals are peerless.