Mushrooms, the first of a major new series of books on British natural
history, provides a remarkable insight into the natural and human world
of fungi. Peter Marren, in his inimitable, relaxed style, guides the
reader through the extraordinary riches of this often overlooked group,
from the amazing diversity of forms and lifestyles that populate the
fungal landscape, to the pursuit of edible fungi for the pot, and the
complexities of identification thrown up by our modern understanding of
DNA.
Throughout the book, the author tells a story rich in detail about how
we have come to appreciate and, in some cases, fear the mushrooms and
toadstools that are such an integral part of the changing seasons.
Marren also provides a refreshingly candid view of our attempts to name
species, the role of fungi in ecosystems, and our recent efforts to
record and conserve them.