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The Romance of the Fungus World
Both real and legendary aspects: fairy rings, poisons, medicines; gastronomic properties, associations with devil, more. Fascinatingly told. 85 illustrations.
308 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1925
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 30, 2023
There was another review of this book on Goodreads that summarises it perfectly. It's amazing how much we knew about fungi at the time (1925) but the book is riddled with inaccuracies and is quite racist in parts. The historical aspects of fungi which were talked about in the book were very interesting and I actually learned a lot about the origins of mycology.
February 14, 2022
A good read for any mycologist- provides a great snapshot of where mycology was as a discipline in 1925. A lot of the language is outdated (and racist) and it has a mostly European slant, but is worth the read. There’s lots of great poetry and literature excerpts mixed in, as well as some lovely drawings and photos. I was shocked how much we already knew almost 100 years ago.
May 27, 2017
I came across a 1925 edition of 'The Romance of the Fungus World'. Between 1925 – 2014, eighteen editions were published, including a 1974 paperback edition (see cover picture), featuring a trippy purple cover with an illustration of the caterpillar inspired by Lewis Carrolls's book 'Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland'.
The cover of the 1974 edition perfectly suits the decadent era of LSD, hallucinogenics, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and exotic smoking drugs imbibed from hookahs and bongs. This cover is a long way from the original 1925 edition with its tasteful, gold embossed, hard back cover.
The wonderful thing about 'The Romance of the Fungus World' is that it seriously examines the gastronomic delights offered by mushrooms, their medicinal uses and the effects of poisonous fungi. Yet this scientific information sits comfortably with the esoteric, mystical side of fungi.
A whole chapter is dedicated to fungi lore and mythology: predominately the association between fungi and devils, witches, elves and fairies.
Toadstools in a circular formation (known as fairy rings) have numerous mythologies explaining their existence. One ancient story has it that after the wee people had danced around in a circle, toadstools grew on the grass where they’d danced, and were used by elves and fairies to rest their tired feet.
An old English West-country superstition held that if a maiden wanted to improve her complexion, all she had to do was to nip outside on a May morning and rub dew from the grass all over her face. However, it was imperative that the maiden didn’t intrude inside any fairy rings, for the wee people might get angry and take their revenge by giving her a hideous rash.
Strange things happened to folk who were foolish enough to step into the fairy rings. In Germany, it was once believed that the bare portion of the ring was the place where a fiery dragon had rested in his nocturnal wanderings.
The dedication in the 1925 edition is quite lovely:
'To the memory of George Edward Massee … to whom the Authors are indebted for their first glimpses of the Fungus World, and in whose company, in field and by fireside, they spent many delightful hours'.
This is a unique classic that holds its own ninety-two years after its first publication. Beautifully written it is of interest to those who are researchers or others like myself who are fascinated by mythologies and the crafting of folk lore and stories.
The cover of the 1974 edition perfectly suits the decadent era of LSD, hallucinogenics, Pink Floyd, David Bowie and exotic smoking drugs imbibed from hookahs and bongs. This cover is a long way from the original 1925 edition with its tasteful, gold embossed, hard back cover.
The wonderful thing about 'The Romance of the Fungus World' is that it seriously examines the gastronomic delights offered by mushrooms, their medicinal uses and the effects of poisonous fungi. Yet this scientific information sits comfortably with the esoteric, mystical side of fungi.
A whole chapter is dedicated to fungi lore and mythology: predominately the association between fungi and devils, witches, elves and fairies.
Toadstools in a circular formation (known as fairy rings) have numerous mythologies explaining their existence. One ancient story has it that after the wee people had danced around in a circle, toadstools grew on the grass where they’d danced, and were used by elves and fairies to rest their tired feet.
An old English West-country superstition held that if a maiden wanted to improve her complexion, all she had to do was to nip outside on a May morning and rub dew from the grass all over her face. However, it was imperative that the maiden didn’t intrude inside any fairy rings, for the wee people might get angry and take their revenge by giving her a hideous rash.
Strange things happened to folk who were foolish enough to step into the fairy rings. In Germany, it was once believed that the bare portion of the ring was the place where a fiery dragon had rested in his nocturnal wanderings.
The dedication in the 1925 edition is quite lovely:
'To the memory of George Edward Massee … to whom the Authors are indebted for their first glimpses of the Fungus World, and in whose company, in field and by fireside, they spent many delightful hours'.
This is a unique classic that holds its own ninety-two years after its first publication. Beautifully written it is of interest to those who are researchers or others like myself who are fascinated by mythologies and the crafting of folk lore and stories.
December 31, 2017
Great read, very interesting, but some of the science is out of date (makes sense since it was published in 1924). If you're looking for more fungi science, look for a more recent book.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews