Rating: 
Summary: It's not the beer, it's the mold on the peanuts!
Review: "Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds" is a highly readable trip into the kingdom of what I used to think of as some of the most disgusting organisms on Earth--the fungus responsible for athlete's foot, for one ('Trichophyton rubrum').The author, George W. Hudler is Professor of Plant Pathology at Cornell University where he offers a popular course that has the same name as this book. He also edits "Branching Out," a biweekly newsletter for tree care professionals in the northeastern United States. In fact some of the bleakest chapters in "Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds" concern the majestic species of trees that used to shade the American landscape. "Under the spreading chestnut tree" is no more--done in by the fungus 'Cryphonectria parasitica.' Professor Hudler also includes a deservedly little-known poem by Robert Frost, "Evil Tendencies Cancel" whose subject is the chestnut blight. Dutch Elm disease, whose most common conida (spores) resemble jelly beans on tiny black toothpicks has blighted our landscapes since World War I when it was first discovered in Holland. This fungus can actually be controlled as long as communities are willing to sustain a commitment--unfortunately the city where I live ran out of money and/or enthusiasm for preserving these lovely old trees, and I've been watching them die off one by one ever since we moved here twenty years ago. Grim anecdotes aside, this book is a lively mixture of scientific fact and an overview of how fungi have changed our lives. For instance, most of us were taught that Dr. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin at St. Mary's Hospital in London in 1928. But Professor Hudler also relates that Joseph Lister, the father of antiseptic surgery used a penicillium mold extract to heal a young girl in Edinburgh in 1844. And three thousand years ago, the Chinese were using moldy soybean curd to cure skin infections. After explaining "What Fungi Do and How They Do it" in Chapter two, the author devotes several chapters to "Fungi as Pathogens of Food Crops." The fungus that turned Irish potato crops into a "putrid black mush" in the mid-eighteen-hundreds is 'Phytophthora infestans (once known as 'Botrytis infestans).' Potato blight also destroyed German food crops in 1915 and 1916, and over 700,000 Germans starved--possibly assuring the Allied victory over the Kaiser's troops in 1918. 'P. Infestans' also wreaks havoc in backyard tomato plantings in the northeastern United States (I can personally attest to this). Copper-based fungicide will control this fungus--in fact the Germans knew this during World War I, but their copper stocks were reserved for shell casings. Even more interesting is the chapter on "Ergot of Grain Crops" and ergotamine poisoning, which may have been responsible for such historical events as the medieval 'plagues of fire,' the witchcraft frenzies, and the Eleusian Mysteries in Classical Greece. LSD is only one of the alkaloids that can be derived from 'Claviceps purpurea,' the ergot fungus. Aside from deadly mycotoxins, putrid potatoes, and psychedelic mushrooms, the author also discusses fungi responsible for the production of life-saving drugs (not just penicillin), bread, beer, and wine. He goes into such loving detail over the production of the latter two yeast-based products that I'm led to wonder if he is an amateur vintner or brewer. Incidentally, I learned that it's not the beer that will kill frequent tavern-goers--it's the mold on the free peanuts, which manufactures a potent carcinogen! Another very interesting book for budding (sorry) mycologists is "In the Company of Mushrooms: a Biologist's Tale" by Elio Schaechter.
Rating:
Summary: My Favorite Book on Fungi
Review: Fungi are among the least understood and often most maligned organisms. The cast is huge and runs the gamut from ergot of rye through food plant pathogens, human and animal pathogens, molds, yeasts, mushrooms and rot fungi. All have complicated life cycles and are often only noticed when the put up fruiting bodies (as in mushrooms). While mushrooms have a certain following, most other fungi are not especially well liked. This is a bit of a pity, as many are quite interesting and some serve important functions from even our point of view.
George W. Hudler, a professor of plant pathology at Cornell University, has produced in "Magical Mushrooms. Mischievous Molds" a solid and well illustrated review of these important, but often ignored, life forms that should intrigue even those who find fungi boring. This well-written book certainly is an easy read and provides numerous fascinating facts about the fungus world. From the effects of ergot and hallucinogenic mushrooms to the tree death-dealing Dutch elm disease and fermenting yeasts, Hudler covers the field with a thoroughness not usually seen in a book of this size.
There have been several very good books on fungi in recent years, most involving mushrooms, but Hudler, has I think, written the best of all. A fascinating read and I recommend it highly!
Rating:
Summary: Dr. Hudler is the best!
Review: I wish everyone who read this book could also sit in Dr. Hudler's class and experience the entire semester. It's such a package deal. Dr. Hudler's lectures folow just like the book - they make you believe that education can be fun again. The whole book reads like some kind of fairy tale, only it's nonfiction and yet still thoroughly entertaining. He really gets you involved in the stories of thing,s like suddenly you belong in the world of fungi!
Rating:
Summary: Dr. Hudler is the best!
Review: I wish everyone who read this book could also sit in Dr. Hudler's class and experience the entire semester. It's such a package deal. Dr. Hudler's lectures folow just like the book - they make you believe that education can be fun again. The whole book reads like some kind of fairy tale, only it's nonfiction and yet still thoroughly entertaining. He really gets you involved in the stories of thing,s like suddenly you belong in the world of fungi!
Rating: 
Summary: Fun with Fungus
Review: In the lull after the holidays, I picked up, for light reading, Dr. George Hudler's Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds. You may question my correlating a book about fungus and light reading. Trust me it is informative and very interesting. There is a minimum of technical terminology. It is the text for a course Dr. Hudler teaches at The University. The course is one of the most popular on campus. It received national recognition for its popularity. It is a course, student rumor relates, that will not strain their brain too much. The book is similar. Several chapters are devoted to pathogens of plants (food crops, grains and trees). Edible, poisonous and hallucinogenic mushrooms have chapters that repeatedly warn that less than a positive mushroom identification is life threatening. Fungus helping us medicinally, and with our foods (bread, wine & beer) are also discussed. Did you know it is a fungal halo surrounding that dead fly stuck to the widow? Dr. Hudler relates fungal postulates responsible for the witch trials in colonial Salem Massachusetts. He also relates that the Egyptian famine described in the 41st chapter of Genesis was very likely caused by a rust disease that destroyed the grain crops. Late blight fungus caused the Irish potato famine and challenges potato and tomato growers today. I was unaware that thieves stealing the grape crop in 19th century France lead to the discovery of a cure for powdery mildew. In this case, the vineyard owner sprayed a mixture of lime and copper on the plants to discourage freeloading harvesters. It was the first recorded use of 'Bordeaux mixture'. Descriptions of fungal sex and spore dispersal are included in the 'how they do it' chapter. Dr. Hudler's course is even higher on my to-do list now.
Rating: 
Summary: solid introduction to mycology
Review: The fungi are enormously important organisms in nearly every ecosystem, but their importance is rarely fully appreciated. Besides that, they are a fascinating life form, as mind bending as any creature from science fiction.
This book is a very brief introduction to fungi. The topic itself is fascinating, so it is no problem that the writing is only a tad better than typical academic writing.
Hudler covers:
* the structure of fungi and their classification
* their life-cycles and reproduction, spore travel including exploding cups
* the Armillaria bulbosa, the world's largest living organism and one of its oldest
* the fungus that caused the Irish potato famine
* the possibility that Joseph's famine in Exodus was caused by rust
* the origin of ginger snaps
* Dutch Elm disease and other tree diseases
* Ergot, which probably caused the hallucinations of the Salem witch trials, and maybe the experience of the Eleusinian mysteries in ancient Greece, and from which we make LSD
* fungus and problems of food storage
* athlete's foot, ringworm, yeast infections and thrush
* penicillin (the details of its discovery and the growing resistance of microbes), shiitake and other mushrooms from Asian medicine; and of course Beano
* yeasts in baking and brewing
* brief look at edible mushrooms and poisonous ones
* magic mushrooms
* wood decay
* symbiosis with insects (leaf-cutter ants, termites and ambrosia beetles); and fungi that prey on insects, including houseflies and the gypsy moth
* symbiosis with plants, especially mychorrhizae
* lichens, which are generally symbiosis between fungi and algae (plants), but in some cases the fungi are evidently parasites (and this was interesting news to me!); the possibility that the Biblical manna from heaven was a lichen; and lichens that store and concentrate radioactive caesium, which are eaten by reindeer, which are eaten by humans, leading to radiation poisoning; and lichens as sources for oils, dyes and perfumes
Other reviewers are obviously raving about this book, but it has much too little detail for my taste. It's target audience is everyone, so the author backed away from scientific information which would have made the book much, much more fascinating. However, as an introduction to fungi for people with little or no scientific background, this book is perfect.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent text on fungal and human interaction!
Review: This book is a great, easy to read, well written scientific text (although not overly technical) about fungi in our environment. The book covers topics such as plant and fungal interactions, serious outbreaks of diseases that have been caused by fungi, medical mycology, a brief history of psilocybin mushrooms, and many other extremely interesting and practical topics. I am actually using this book as a text for a class I am teaching this quarter at UCSC. I highly reccomend it to anyone looking to learn more about fungi, or increase their knowledge of specific fungi that have been problematic in our culture. It is smooth reading and keeps your attention. Hudler is an eloquent writer.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: This book is an interesting introduction to the science of mycology written for non-specialists. It covers numerous aspects of the field, including such topics as fungi as pathogens of food crops, mycotoxins, fungal diseases of humans, yeasts, and mushrooms. Hudler weaves historical information together with the biology of the fungi he describes. Although the book assumes no specific background knowledge in mycology, I did find a few sections a little heavy-going. I found myself wishing I had reviewed Biology 101 before reading chapter 1 on classification and naming, for example. Overall, though, the book is extremely informative and enjoyable to read.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating
Review: This book is an interesting introduction to the science of mycology written for non-specialists. It covers numerous aspects of the field, including such topics as fungi as pathogens of food crops, mycotoxins, fungal diseases of humans, yeasts, and mushrooms. Hudler weaves historical information together with the biology of the fungi he describes. Although the book assumes no specific background knowledge in mycology, I did find a few sections a little heavy-going. I found myself wishing I had reviewed Biology 101 before reading chapter 1 on classification and naming, for example. Overall, though, the book is extremely informative and enjoyable to read.
Rating:
Summary: read it
Review: This book makes mushrooms fun. How that happenend I'll never know, but it happened! Buy it and read it! It's got my vote!
|
