Close Encounters of the Fungal Kind : In Pursuit of Remarkable Mushrooms

Tristan Gooley hails this as 'A very enjoyable book that brilliantly blends science, insight and passion'. The fungal realm is a distinct kingdom, operating by its own unique principles. Fungi are staggeringly diverse, defying conventional norms. They emerge unexpectedly, often adorned in curious shades of red and green. Their existence seems otherworldly, yet they underpin all terrestrial life: the 'wood wide web' interconnects trees through an underground network; fungi decompose fallen trunks and leaves, recycling nutrients to sustain the forest; they nourish a myriad of beetles and flies, which in turn feed birds and bats.

Fungi yield the world's most expensive delicacies, but also offer the prospect of affordable protein for all. They cure ailments, yet simultaneously cause disease and prove lethal. Their specialised capabilities are unparalleled, and their diversity is both thrilling and bewildering. Professor Richard Fortey has been an avid field mycologist throughout his life. Since childhood, when he first read about ergot (a fungus) driving nuns to madness, he has revelled in the exuberant variety and abundance of mushrooms. Drawing from decades of scientific fieldwork in woods and meadows, Fortey begins with the perfect 'fungus day' – savouring ceps in Piedmont.

He introduces brown rotters and white fungi, earthstars and death caps, fungal annuals and perennials, dung-lovers and parasites, even fungi that traverse trees like mycelial monkeys. We learn that the giant puffball releases more spores than there are known stars in the universe, and fetid stinkhorns resemble arrivals from the planet Tharg. He recounts the fungus that turns flies into zombies, those that remediate metallic waste, the delectable subterranean truffle de Perigord prized by gourmets. Amidst these and many other 'close encounters' of a fungal nature, the book endeavours to answer: what are fungi? Why was their means of reproduction so long undiscovered? What role do they play in life's evolution?

The vast fungal kingdom surpasses plants and animals in diversity and species richness. Their glorious profusion takes centre stage in this magical, deeply informed book, which transports us from familiar realms into strange worlds.

Product Information:

Book ISBN:	9780008639686
Book Author:	Richard Fortey
Book Format:	Hardback
Book Imprint:	William Collins
Book Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Book Dimensions:	241 x 164 x 34 cm
Book Publication Date:	2024-12-09
Book Pagination:	336 pages
Book Weight:	592g