Common Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of New York - by Alan Bessette & Arleen Bessette (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

For amateur mycologists and foragers alike, the difference between a beautiful fungal find and a potentially toxic mushroom can be difficult to distinguish. Updated and expanded nearly twenty years after its original publication, Common Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms of New York, Second Edition is ideally suited to helping foragers of any experience quickly and accurately identify the potentially poisonous and unpalatable mushrooms of the region. Filled with photos and useful descriptions, this book provides key identifying features for the most common wild mushrooms foragers encounter in the region. The updated edition adds more than thirty species not included in the previous version, as well as updated terminology and photos to better prepare foragers. With recipes and additional advice, this is an essential resource for first-time and experienced mushroom hunters alike.

Review Quotes

Coverage includes edible species of New York, such as the boletes, chanterelles and their allies, coral fungi, gilled mushrooms, giant puffballs, hypomyces, morels, polypores, and tooth fungi; and the inedible and poisonous species amongst the boletes, false morels, and gilled.-- "Book News"

About the Author

Alan E. Bessette is a professional mycologist and distinguished emeritus professor of biology at Utica University. He has published numerous papers in the field of mycology and has authored or coauthored more than twenty-five books, including Boletes of Eastern North America, Waxcap Mushrooms of Eastern North America, and Milk Mushrooms of North America. Alan served both as a consultant for the New York State Poison Control Center and as the scientific adviser to the Mid York Mycological Society for more than twenty years.

Arleen R. Bessette is a retired psychotherapist, as well as a mycologist and botanical photographer. She has published several papers in the field of mycology and has authored or coauthored more than fifteen books, including Boletes of Eastern North America and Mushrooms of the Southeastern United States. Arleen has won several awards in the North American Mycological Association's annual photography competition.