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This is the most comprehensive photographic handbook for the dedicated mycologist, general naturalist or mushroom hunter collecting for the cooking pot. It features 1,000 species of higher fungi found in the British Isles and northern Europe, from the most common to the rarest - including some never hitherto published photographically. The colour photographs have been taken live and in situ in natural light, making it the realistic photographic field guide available. Each species is seen as it will be found in the wild, in its typical habitat and on its natural substrate. Detailed mycological descriptions, including essential microscopic characteristics, are given to ensure accurate verification. Each entry further defines a fungus's usual occurrence by season and location, states whether it is edible or poisonous and where relevant indicates its culinary uses. The encyclopedia includes an introduction to mushroom biology and a guide to the tools and methods of foraging for mushrooms, making it an overall reference source or a self-contained and comprehensive guide to the practical study and collection of fungi.