Field Guide to Wild Mushrooms of Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic: Revised and Expanded Edition (Keystone Books)

Finally, a book designed with a format that makes the most sense for those of us who hunt for mushrooms in the wild - organized by SEASONS. Spring mushroom are grouped together, and so forth. Why hasn't anyone thought of this before? It really helps narrow things down and is one more aid to help the non-scientist with mushroom identification. But wait, there's more.............! The author injects a bit of dry wit into his writings, which add greatly to the readability of this field guide. Technical terms are concisely explained with clear, easy to understand layman's language. I own over a dozen mushroom books and this one stands above all the others as the most efficient to use. It does not contain everything - just mushrooms of the mid-Atlantic states. Oh how I wish there was a companion volume for mushrooms of the southeast. The book is compact enough to throw in your day pack, unlike so many others that are much to large to use in the field. A superb field guide - no one collecting mushrooms in the mid-Atlantic states and PA should be without it.

Would definitely suggest adding this to ur Library for reference...PA

Unlike any other mushroom guide I've seen, the author had the smart idea of arranging and grouping mushrooms by season. This alone makes this a practical guide for the average user (like me). Other authors of mushroom guides take note! This edition is describe as including more varieties, 125 distinct species. That's a bit thin, imho, given the large number of geni and species in the mushroom family. The photographs are adequate; they include views of both the caps & stems and gills. The text includes descriptions of spore coloration -- another key way to ID species -- and notes on species that are safe to eat.

We always wanted to go out and find our own mushrooms and not be afraid of picking ones that are not good for you. We are learning a lot.

The book is very well written and due to it's size is useful to take into the woods during foraging outings. The pictures are also very crisp and clear.

Your interested in the subject matter of this book? Then you need to get it. Fantastic information and photos.

I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Russell and talking with him. He's an absolute delight! This book is also wonderful. I forage for mushrooms year-round, and I have a lot of mushroom books. This one is one of my favorites. Bill makes it so personable with the stories he tells. I'm a scientist and enjoy reading scientific literature, but sometimes a person just wants to read something informative that can be entertaining as well. That's how I would describe this book. It's like you're learning about mushrooms from an old friend. I'd recommend it to anyone interested in learning about mushrooms.

One needs multiple sources for identifying mushrooms. This one fills some of the gaps and adds different perspectives of difficult to identify shrooms

Although this field guide has relatively small color photos for each species, it makes up for with an extensive descriptive text that goes with it. Detailed descriptions are provided for each mushroom covered, along with habitat requirements and when to find it. In addition, there’s a very handy guide to help with the pronunciation of scientific names. A useful guide for anyone interested in mushrooms in the Great Lake region.