“Mushrooms Demystified”, by David Arora is one of the best identification books for this area.

This book has a thorough description of mushroom terms, features and families. There is even a section on Greek and Latin terms to make the scientific names more understandable. The bible of mushroom books, as it is known, is my most complete identification guide.Paired with Davids companion book, “All the Rain Promises and More” is a powerful tool for learning fungus.

There is a general key in the beginning, to get you in the right family, and then each section has a detailed key that is very straight forward and easy to use.Edibility is covered as well as toxicity and naming history.There is black and white photos throughout the book  and colored plates in the center that are outstanding!There is a section on mushroom toxins with details on the chemicals involved.Symptoms, emergency advice and examples of poisonings are included.

“Mushrooms Demystified” is a great Identification Guide and good way to get an overall understanding of the great world of FUNGUS! Even though it is centered around his home in California it is very effective here in the NorthWest. Go get your copy today…at your local bookstore. Here in Bozeman we are lucky to have Vargo’s on main street.