In stunning photographs and through meticulous textual descriptions, naturalist and photographer Roger Phillips captures the mushrooms and other fungi of North America in all their fascinating variety. Over 1,000 full-color photographs make this the most comprehensively illustrated guide on the subject, the essential resource for the amateur collector, expert mycologist, and armchair naturalist. Unlike the photographs in other guides, which are taken in the wild, the images in Mushrooms of North America are shot in controlled studio light. The specimens are arranged to show the cap, stem, gills, spines, and a cross section of each mushroom, usually in various stages of growth. In their elegant presentation and clarity of detail, these pictures are reminiscent of classic botanical drawings.
Accessible text accompanies each illustration for greater ease and accuracy of identification.
Information on collecting and on the process of identifying specimens introduces the amateur to mycology. Supplementing his own considerable knowledge with the expertise of an academic consultant for each major genus covered here, Roger Phillips has ensured that his volume offers clear, precise information on more mushrooms and fungi than any other guide. For collecting in the field and study at leisure, this is the indispensable book on the subject. He estimates that during his years of research more than 25,000 species of mushrooms and other fungi have passed through his hands, including one species never before identified and now officially named after him.