It also means that many old dogmas stand to fall with regard to the nature of fungal biology and classification. The books are divided into 80 “form groups” each starting with an innovative comparison wheel with guiding photos, distinguishing characteristics and drawings of essential microscopic features. There has been quite a run of mushroom books lately, each outdoing the last in terms of the quality of the illustrations, but this one simply takes your breath away. All species are illustrated with one or more photographs and information is given on morphology, ecology and distribution within temperate Europe.

It is a splendid example [ sic] how to present the multitude of forms in a way that makes identification possible and fun, while at the same time showing the beauty and diversity of fungi. Steve Trudell, Mycophile "With its unprecedentedly broad taxonomic coverage, Fungi of Temperate Europe aims to provide a comprehensive overview of fungal species in Europe. He taught mycology at Aarhus University for more than 20 years and is the author of The Kingdom of Fungi (Princeton).something all field mycologists who see it will want to have on the bench near their microscopes when making identifications. the greatest strength of Fungi of Temperate Europe lies in its illustrations, which, I repeat, are simply glorious. The habitat descriptions seem broadly appropriate to British conditions (we are in the ‘nemoral’ zone). The books are divided into eighty 'form groups', each starting with an innovative comparison wheel with guiding photos, distinguishing characteristics and drawings of essential microscopic features.

Peter Marren, British Wildlife "Not only for people in Europe is this the best guidebook to get, it also is extremely useful for people in other parts of the world. Remarkably few field guides bother to do this, and so this aspect of the book gets a gold star from me. It is very useful both for professionals and for everyone interested in this fascinating group of organisms. It contains brief descriptions, up-to-date taxonomic names, and keys to identification based on innovative “fungal wheels. For temperate Europe we estimate that the total number of species is higher than 20,000 and the number of fruitbody-forming fungi is at least 6,000 - 9,000 (including about 2,000 species of lichens).OVERSEAS POSTAGE is charged by weight, at cost and is sent by Royal Mail's Priority Airmail service. This is an international publication, so there are no English names; and only the latest up-to-the-minute scientific names, although in many cases the authors mention the previous, more familiar, name. Not only for people in Europe is this the best guidebook to get, it also is extremely useful for people in other parts of the world.

Here the task is facilitated by grouping together look-alikes, and, crucially, describing the differences between them. The fungal kingdom; fungal nutrition; Fungal biogeography and habitats; Asexual propagation; Fruitbodies; Microscopy; Tastes and smells; Working with fruitbodies; General identification wheels; Chanterelles and the like. The books are divided into eighty “form groups,” each starting with an innovative comparison wheel with guiding photos, distinguishing characteristics and drawings of essential microscopic features. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions.Revealing the world of fungi in all its splendour, Fungi of Temperate Europe is a must-have resource for any amateur or professional mycologist. The authors are both English-speaking Danes, and Laessoe, at least, has worked in Britain and knows British fungi. All species are illustrated with one or more photographs and information on morphology, ecology and distribution within temperate Europe is given.

Hence it includes many Continental species that have not been found in Britain, though fewer than you might suppose, for fungi tend to be more widely distributed than plants.In Denmark, the number of species of fungi currently known is about 8,000, and in the UK the figure is almost double that. It, in turn, is based on a method devised by the authors and their colleagues, available online as the MycoKey. The second, which takes us to 1,715 pages, includes all the rest: brackets, puffballs, jelly fungi, coral fungi, hydnoids, cup fungi and truffles, with a nod at rusts and smuts, mildews, lichens and slime moulds (and, yes, the authors are well aware that the latter are not fungi). With a wheel or two at the start of each new batch of fungi, it is an attractive, illustrative way of getting to the right group quickly, certainly much more quickly than with technical synoptic keys. Fortunately, there is an index to genera on the front boards and an abbreviated glossary at the back.