Book excerpt: The Philip's Guide to Mushrooms and Toadstools of Britain and Northern Europe is an easy-to-use rapid identification guide to more than 400 of the larger fungi of Britain and Northern Europe. The region covered extends from Britain and Ireland to western Russia, and from Scandinavia to the Alps and the beginning of the Mediterranean zone.The book is a practical field guide, containing accurate, full-colour illustrations of each of the featured species, with important distinguishing characteristics labelled. A cross-section of each specimen is also provided, together with a drawing of a spore. A detailed illustrated key allows the user to identify a specimen and points to the appropriate place in the book for further information.The text gives detailed yet accessible information for each species. Details include: habitat, season, frequency, cap size, shape and colour, gill colour and structure; stem shape and colour; spore colour and size. The author highlights the most distinctive features of each species, so that even a brief glance at the text can provide key information quickly in the field. Clear symbols indicate whether a species is edible or poisonous.The introduction to the book acquaints the reader with the world of mushrooms and toadstools from botanical, taxonomic and economic points of view, and contains sections on collection and identification, as well as on poisonous species and the use of mushrooms in cooking.The Philip's Guide to Mushrooms and Toadstools is suitable to the naturalist, the collector and the student alike.Main map scale: