Wisconsin Mycological Society
  • Home
  • Events
  • Newsletters
  • Board
  • Myco Links
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Events
  • Newsletters
  • Board
  • Myco Links
  • Contact
Search by typing & pressing enter

YOUR CART

Learning More, Mushroom Books

Here is a list of thirteen mushroom books. Each book has some nice features as well as some drawbacks.
Beginning Field Guides
  1. George Barron, Mushrooms of Northeast North America, Lone Pine Publishing, 1999 –one of my favorites, it is informative and beautiful with more than 600 species; no key.
  2. Clyde M. Christensen, Common Edible Mushrooms, The University of Minnesota Press, 1943 –black and white photos of 62 common species. (out of print)
  3. Booth Courtenay and Harold H. Burdsall, Jr., A Field Guide to Mushrooms and their Relatives, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982 –short descriptions and small color photos of approximately 334 common Wisconsin mushrooms; no key. (out of print)
  4. Orson L. Miller, Jr., Mushrooms of North America, Chanticleer Press, 1978 –good color photos and descriptions of 422 species; contains keys. (out of print)
  5. Alexander H. Smith and Nancy Smith Weber, The Mushroom Hunter’s Field Guide, The University of Michigan Press, 1980 –photos of and keys to 282 species.
Miscellaneous Books about Mushrooms
  1. R. T. Rolfe and F. W. Rolfe, The Romance of the Fungus World, Dover Publications, 1925 –mushroom folklore. (out of print)
  2. George W. Hudler, Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds, Princton University Press, 1998 –historical overview of fungi and man, with an emphasis on fungal pathogens.
  3. Elio Schaechter, In the Company of Mushrooms: A Biologist’s Tale, Harvard University Press, 1998 –well written overview of all things fungal.
  4. Sara Ann Friedman, Celebrating the Wild Mushroom, Dodd, Mead & Company, 1986 –sort of a mushroomer’s autobiography, whimsical, light reading; contains some recipes. (out of print)
  5. Nancy Smith Weber, A Morel Hunter’s Companion, TwoPeninsula Press, 1988 –a complete guide to the true and false morels.
Advanced Field Guides
  1. David Arora, Mushrooms Demystified, Ten Speed Press, 1979 –a humorous and enjoyable field guide as well as a good source of general information about mushrooms, though it covers primarily West Coast mushrooms; does contain a very good key.
  2. Alan E. Bessette, Arleen R. Bessette and David W. Fischer, Mushrooms of Northeastern North America, Syracuse University Press, 1997 –has it all; 1500 species, color photos and a good key to species and a regional nature that covers Wisconsin.
  3. Alan E. Bessette, William C. Roody and Arleen R. Bessette, North American Boletes, Syracuse University Press, 2000 –keys to more than 300 boletes.
  4. Kent H. McKnight and Vera B. McKnight, A Field Guide to Mushrooms of North America (The Peterson Field Guide Series), Houghton Mifflin Company, 1987 –drawings and good descriptions of approximately 1000 mushrooms and their look-alikes, no key.
  5. Gary H. Lincoff, The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1981 –color photos and descriptions of approximately 730 mushrooms and hundreds of look-alikes, no key.
  6. Roger Phillips, Mushrooms of North America, Little, Brown & Company, 1991 –comprehensive field guide, covering a large number of species, color photos, Key to genus only. (out of print)
If You Suspect a Poisoning
If you suspect you have consumed a poisonous mushroom, contact a physician, the closest hospital ER, poison control center, or dial 911, depending on the severity of the reaction.

US Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222
The North American Mycological Association (NAMA) has information that may also be of help. Click here.
​
 We do not ID mushrooms through this website. 
If you are in need of an ID consider uploading quality photos with multiple views of your specimen and descriptions of your find to Mushroom Observer or iNaturalist including our projects or post in Wild Food Wisconsin or Mushroom Identification Group.

If you contact us and provide a way to get back to you, we may be able to provide suggestions for more identification resources you can use.
You are always responsible for your own decisions taken on the basis of identification resources.

Picture
Wisconsin Mycological Society

Wisconsin Mycological Society (WMS) is dedicated to the study and enjoyment of mushrooms and other fungi throughout the state of Wisconsin. Education, safety, sustainability, community, and connecting with nature are our goals. 

We are affiliated with NAMA, a society that covers all of North America and includes many affiliate clubs. We also love to support regional  Wisconsin clubs and fungi related events. This includes the Madison Mycological Society and the Northwestern Wisconsin MycoEnthusiasts.

If you run or want to start a regional group, or one focused on a unique mycological topic, please do reach out to us.