Book Review
A Mushroom Word Guide: Etymology, Pronunciation, & Meanings of over 1,500 Words
A Mushroom Word Guide is the ONLY book that has remained on my desk, at arm’s reach, since the day I received it. In all honesty I use it nearly every day. Even if you are not a word nerd or grammar geek, you will very much enjoy this wonderful little book by Rob Hallock, a Midwestern college professor who has published in FUNGI several times. The title of the book is self-explanatory: it’s basically a 152-page glossary to pretty much all commonly used mycological terms as well as etymology for where scientific names come from. I find it very useful to learn the etymology of names as it then helps to remember the mushroom as well as outstanding features about that species or its habitat. You really should get this book and keep it on your desk, as I do. You will soon be on your way to learning useful mycological jargon. I have the very large Ainsworth and Bisby’s Dictionary of the Fungi (8th edition), which is far more expensive and, in my opinion, far less useful than Hallock’s book.
— Review by Britt Bunyard
— Originally published in Fungi