Fungi play a crucial role in supporting life on Earth, and we humans benefit directly through an array of fungal products, including foods and medicines. This book explores our relationship with fungi and our complex cultural attitudes towards them. Chapters include fungal biology, chemistry, cultivation, foraging and conservation. There is also a recipe section.
Written for the non-specialist, and making full use of the extraordinary diversity and beauty of fungi through stunning images, this book provides a fascinating introduction to a group of organisms whose lifestyle means they remain largely out of sight, overlooked and forgotten. The reality is that there is much for which fungi should be thanked.
* Introducing the Fungi, by Nick D. Read & Lynne Boddy
* Chapter 1: The Hidden Kingdom, by Roy Watling
* Chapter 2: Recycling the World, by Lynne Boddy, Geoff Robson & Naresh Magan
* Chapter 3: Plant Pests and Perfect Partners, by Lynne Boddy, Paul Dyer & Stephan Helfer
* Chapter 4: Animal Slayers, Saviours and Socialists, by Harry C. Evans & Lynne Boddy
* Chapter 5: Amazing Chemists, by Milton Wainwright
* Chapter 6: Fungi and Humanity, by Gordon Rutter
* Chapter 7: Fungal Monsters in Science Fiction, by Heather Kiernan
* Chapter 8: Growing Edible Fungi, by Patrick C. Hickey
* Chapter 9: The Fungal Forager, by John Wright
* Chapter 10: Safeguarding the Future, by David Minter