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The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American
The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms
With more than 700 mushrooms detailed with color photographs and descriptive text, this is the most comprehensive photographic field guide to the mushrooms of North America. The 762 full-color identification photographs show the mushrooms as they appear in natural habitats. Organized visually, the book groups all mushrooms by color and shape to make identification simple and accurate in the field, while the text account for each species includes a detailed physical description, information on edibility, season, habitat, range, look-alikes, alternative names, and facts on edible and poisonous species, uses, and folklore. A supplementary section on cooking and eating wild mushrooms, and illustrations identifying the parts of a mushroom, round out this essential guide.
928 pages, Paperback
First published December 12, 1980
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 18, 2012
This is a massive guidebook replete with color plates and an excellent key system. It contains enough information to satisfy someone who has been identifying mushrooms for several years, and many plates show phenotypic differences among the more popular species.
I would not recommend this book to someone who wants to learn mushroom hunting unless they have previous experience with the Audubon guides. I just think this book is a little too dense for a novice -- the pages and pages of LBMs are a little too intense for someone who may just be interested in identifying the most distinctive edibles like morels and oysters.
Recommended Reading
For the amateur mycologist, I would recommend the following books in this order:
1. This one The Pocket Guide to Mushrooms
2. The Audubon Society Field Field Guide to North American Mushrooms
3. A regional guide, like Field Guide to Wild Mushrooms of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic
I would not recommend this book to someone who wants to learn mushroom hunting unless they have previous experience with the Audubon guides. I just think this book is a little too dense for a novice -- the pages and pages of LBMs are a little too intense for someone who may just be interested in identifying the most distinctive edibles like morels and oysters.
Recommended Reading
For the amateur mycologist, I would recommend the following books in this order:
1. This one The Pocket Guide to Mushrooms
2. The Audubon Society Field Field Guide to North American Mushrooms
3. A regional guide, like Field Guide to Wild Mushrooms of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic
July 6, 2020
I love all the Audubon field guides and this one is no different.
December 4, 2017
An invaluable, easy to use tool for all of your mushroom identification needs. The way it’s structured makes it super easy to thumb through without hassle. A must-have for anyone interested in mycology in the field, both amateur and professional
January 15, 2021
This is the book that got me hooked on mushroom books. When I started reading it the first time, I put down the novel I was enjoying and didn't read anything but mushroom field guides and myco text books for 6 years.
November 12, 2022
I love this guide, it gives you colored images of the mushrooms. Along with the information, if its edible, or poisonous. Not only that it gives information of its season, locations, and special traits. I would highly recommend this book for anyone whom is curious about mushrooms.
February 21, 2018
Incredible reference material! Easy to use in the field and full of fantastic photographs. Would recomend to anybody interested in mycology.
October 14, 2024
This fungi book is one of the main go-to references in my collection. It features clear, close-up photographs, keys for identification, a good description of fungal features at the beginning, a spore print colour chart, cooking instructions and cautions and a glossary.
The scope of this book covers fungi of North America, which is pretty broad. The book’s size (4”x 8”x 1 3/4”) makes it handy to take into the field, but, as a field guide, it limits the photographs to a single view, usually a profile. In identifying mushrooms I like to take a top view, side view and bottom view plus a photo showing the specimen in its habitat. I wish the Audubon guide had more views, including immature and over-mature forms.
Accepting these limitations, however, I consider it a necessary addition to any amateur mycologist’s bookshelf.
The scope of this book covers fungi of North America, which is pretty broad. The book’s size (4”x 8”x 1 3/4”) makes it handy to take into the field, but, as a field guide, it limits the photographs to a single view, usually a profile. In identifying mushrooms I like to take a top view, side view and bottom view plus a photo showing the specimen in its habitat. I wish the Audubon guide had more views, including immature and over-mature forms.
Accepting these limitations, however, I consider it a necessary addition to any amateur mycologist’s bookshelf.
July 4, 2017
An invaluable tool for learning to identify wild mushrooms
September 11, 2017
An awesome tool for any mushroom hunter. I learned more than I thought I would. My only complaints.....the lay out and the bulk of the book as I do like to take them into the woods with me.
February 20, 2021
Incredible glossy photos! Many amazing macros.
Many, many edibles in Northeast. Don't forget
the BOLETES!
Many, many edibles in Northeast. Don't forget
the BOLETES!
November 5, 2022
Very wonderful and helpful to identify with.
December 18, 2022
The color plates, being organized by shape and then color, are fairly comprehensive and useful in the field. The guide has been a useful tool for identification.
December 23, 2022
use it all the time!
January 31, 2023
Great guide with full colour pictures for identifying mushrooms.
May 16, 2023
mushroom identification now! mushroom identification forever!
May 19, 2023
kinda interesting not gonna lie
August 5, 2023
Great small reference book to keep with you all times
January 27, 2024
Great resource to have on the trail with you!
March 8, 2024
Brilliant, colorful photos. Easy to read identification guides. Short introduction to how to cook mushrooms near the end of the guide.
July 3, 2024
The best book for mushroom identification that I've had the pleasure of using
October 2, 2021
The classification and instruction are great to sort mushroom finds. pics are amazing
February 2, 2017
This here is a field guide worth its salt, especially for the beginning mushroomer. I took up mushrooming about six months ago, and this has been my bible during that time, largely because of the plates, which are abundant and of very high quality; it enables the user to triangulate between the mushroom found, a mushroom depicted in the plates, and the more subtle identifying features that are described in the text portion following the plates. Readers can expect to find information about spore prints, morphology, color, range, substrate, and occasionally, ecology.
On to the shortcomings, because these are worth considering:
-Once you exit the realm of mushrooms with stipes and caps, the organizational scheme of the plates can be confusing, and it can be difficult to find something similar to the fungus you've found if you don't search every page of the plates. Womp womp.
-The plates don't depict multiple stages of development, so immature specimens or specimens with unusual reproductive stages will be very difficult to identify;
-The plates give only the common name of the mushroom, so you have to go to the corresponding page in the text section to find the genus and species if you'd like to google it straight away;
-The photos are not always endowed with the best lighting, which can be utterly infuriating if you're out to figure out which exact species of Russula you've gathered in the wild;
-The species descriptions are excellent, but when a "commonly-mistaken-for" species is listed, that doesn't mean that the species is present in the book;
-Winter mycophiles may be disappointed by the relative paucity of crusts, myxomycetes, and polypores discussed in this book.
All that said, I can't help but give this guide five stars. It got me going and it keeps me going, especially when I've failed to be fastidious about taking pictures from all the right angles and collecting specimens for closer inspection at home. Moreover, the clustering of similar-looking species in the plates and in the text facilitates identification by process of elimination for those who (like me) just want to know what the damn thing is probably called.
On to the shortcomings, because these are worth considering:
-Once you exit the realm of mushrooms with stipes and caps, the organizational scheme of the plates can be confusing, and it can be difficult to find something similar to the fungus you've found if you don't search every page of the plates. Womp womp.
-The plates don't depict multiple stages of development, so immature specimens or specimens with unusual reproductive stages will be very difficult to identify;
-The plates give only the common name of the mushroom, so you have to go to the corresponding page in the text section to find the genus and species if you'd like to google it straight away;
-The photos are not always endowed with the best lighting, which can be utterly infuriating if you're out to figure out which exact species of Russula you've gathered in the wild;
-The species descriptions are excellent, but when a "commonly-mistaken-for" species is listed, that doesn't mean that the species is present in the book;
-Winter mycophiles may be disappointed by the relative paucity of crusts, myxomycetes, and polypores discussed in this book.
All that said, I can't help but give this guide five stars. It got me going and it keeps me going, especially when I've failed to be fastidious about taking pictures from all the right angles and collecting specimens for closer inspection at home. Moreover, the clustering of similar-looking species in the plates and in the text facilitates identification by process of elimination for those who (like me) just want to know what the damn thing is probably called.
PLEASE NOTE: THIS BOOK IS NOT ENOUGH FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO EAT WILD MUSHROOMS AND SURVIVE. Edibility is mentioned, but because the assemblage of species in this guide is not exhaustive, it's absolutely essential to avoid eating anything you think you may have identified until you've consulted other books directed specifically toward mycophagists, of which there are several.
June 22, 2017
Fabulous color plates. Good descriptions. While no guide should be one's lone resource in mushrooming, this one is the closest I've found to a comprehensive and reliable option. I often partner this with Michael Kuo's work (his books or his website) and call it a day...unless of course I'm looking for a meal, in which case I always consult every resource I have.
I would call this book an absolute must-have for mushroom hobbyists. A+.
I would call this book an absolute must-have for mushroom hobbyists. A+.
July 29, 2015
"National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms (National Audubon Society Field Guides)" by National Audubon Society is a fabulous field guide on mushrooms in North America. With tons of pictures, and TONS of information on EACH mushroom, you will be able to learn about pretty much any mushroom you find in North America. This is a great field guide, and would be great for reference. I would read it again.
2015-Summer-Reading-Review
2015-Summer-Reading-Review
February 14, 2008
I am an avid mushroom forager (as you can guess from my alias). This book has been my reliable source for mushrooming in the U.S. It is detailed, has excellent illustrations and organized in a clear way. I love this book.
January 4, 2011
Relatively compact size, beautiful photographs, concise descriptions, and easy to use -- definitely a good reference for mushroom hunters and interested nature lovers alike. You can't ask for much more to a good field guide than this.
January 3, 2008
Useful and interesting, but I still don't trust myself to make proper ID with these things. Knowing my luck, I'd turn purple, puff up and have my eyes melt out of their sockets. Purty pix, though.
June 6, 2008
A good book for the beginning mushroom hunter. Many species identified. Convenient size for packing in the field.
October 7, 2008
A good reference, although I found it difficult to look up specific instances for identification. That may be my lack & not theirs though. Like their other books, this is a very good buy.
November 9, 2011
EXCELLENT ref guide...almost 800 color pics! I was able to ID most of the shrooms I've photographed!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews