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All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms
“[ All That the Rain Promises and More ] is certainly the best guide to fungi, and may in fact be a long lasting masterpiece in guide writing for all subjects.”— Roger McKnight, The New York Times
Mushrooms appeal to all kinds of people—and so will this handy pocket guide, which includes key information for more than 200 Western mushrooms
Over 200 edible and poisonous mushrooms are depicted with simple checklists of their identifying features, as David Arora celebrates the fun in fungi with the same engaging bend of wit and wisdom, fact and fancy, that has made his comprehensive guide, Mushrooms Demystified, the mushroom hunter’s bible.
“The best guide for the beginner. I’d buy it no matter where I lived in North America.”— Whole Earth Catalog
Mushrooms appeal to all kinds of people—and so will this handy pocket guide, which includes key information for more than 200 Western mushrooms
Over 200 edible and poisonous mushrooms are depicted with simple checklists of their identifying features, as David Arora celebrates the fun in fungi with the same engaging bend of wit and wisdom, fact and fancy, that has made his comprehensive guide, Mushrooms Demystified, the mushroom hunter’s bible.
“The best guide for the beginner. I’d buy it no matter where I lived in North America.”— Whole Earth Catalog
263 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1991
100 people are currently reading
2073 people want to read
About the author
David Arora
5 books41 followersDavid Arora (born October 23, 1952) is an American mycologist, naturalist, and writer. He is the author of two popular books on mushroom identification, Mushrooms Demystified and All That the Rain Promises and More....
Arora first developed an interest in wild mushrooms while growing up in Pasadena, California and organized his first mushroom collecting group while in high school. He began teaching about wild mushrooms in the early 1970s while living in Santa Cruz, California. Arora has traveled extensively throughout North America and the world, photographing and hunting mushrooms and learning about the mushroom gathering traditions and economies of different cultures.
Mushrooms Demystified was first published in 1979 and was republished in a revised and substantially expanded edition in 1986. Though Mushrooms Demystified encountered some initial resentment and negative reviews among academic mycologists when it first appeared, the mushroom key and descriptions in this work are highly regarded and the book is recommended by a number of mycological authors. The smaller All That the Rain Promises and More... followed in 1991.
In addition to his field guides, he has written several articles on amateur and commercial mushroom hunting, its role in the economic development of rural communities, and about conflicts related to conservation issues related to mushroom hunting.
Arora first developed an interest in wild mushrooms while growing up in Pasadena, California and organized his first mushroom collecting group while in high school. He began teaching about wild mushrooms in the early 1970s while living in Santa Cruz, California. Arora has traveled extensively throughout North America and the world, photographing and hunting mushrooms and learning about the mushroom gathering traditions and economies of different cultures.
Mushrooms Demystified was first published in 1979 and was republished in a revised and substantially expanded edition in 1986. Though Mushrooms Demystified encountered some initial resentment and negative reviews among academic mycologists when it first appeared, the mushroom key and descriptions in this work are highly regarded and the book is recommended by a number of mycological authors. The smaller All That the Rain Promises and More... followed in 1991.
In addition to his field guides, he has written several articles on amateur and commercial mushroom hunting, its role in the economic development of rural communities, and about conflicts related to conservation issues related to mushroom hunting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
April 11, 2011
All That the Rain Promises, and More is a great guide for Mushroom hunters in the western half of the US and is both informative and hilarious. Each mushroom picture is accompanied by a description and a list of key features (including edibility). There are sidebar topics including recipes and a people's tales of epic mushroom hunts. The pictures of mushroom hunters are fairly funny. It seems like each one features a big beard, big hair, or both.
The humor is a big selling point for me. I laughed at descriptions of several mushrooms and smiled wide when one of the mushrooms was described as "probably edible."
My gripes are fairly minor. Some of the pictures could be clearer considering how much some poison mushrooms look like a more benign or edible variety. The book's western focus is a little vexing but that's not really the book's fault.
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The humor is a big selling point for me. I laughed at descriptions of several mushrooms and smiled wide when one of the mushrooms was described as "probably edible."
My gripes are fairly minor. Some of the pictures could be clearer considering how much some poison mushrooms look like a more benign or edible variety. The book's western focus is a little vexing but that's not really the book's fault.
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February 5, 2023
OMG, what a joyous book, really a celebration of the mycological world.
While I would never trust myself to forage properly, this book is an A+ guide to it. Full of usefully-arranged characteristics, large photos, and both anecdotes and photos submitted by other foragers, it was a delight to read. David Arora's enthusiasm for mushrooms bleeds off the page, if the amazing cover didn't represent that well enough. The book has aged extremely well and I enjoyed learning so much from it. The candid, humorous tones were so approachable.
While I would never trust myself to forage properly, this book is an A+ guide to it. Full of usefully-arranged characteristics, large photos, and both anecdotes and photos submitted by other foragers, it was a delight to read. David Arora's enthusiasm for mushrooms bleeds off the page, if the amazing cover didn't represent that well enough. The book has aged extremely well and I enjoyed learning so much from it. The candid, humorous tones were so approachable.
July 29, 2013
Alright, first of all, THE COVER. This pretty much explains it all; this book was compiled by a man who adores mushrooms, is filled with pictures of fungi fanatics wearing caps, dancing through the woods, playing flutes... I showed this to my mother who simply went, "Ah, the 60's. And 70's." All this juxtaposed with stories inspired by their extreme love of various fungus, but despite the silliness, this guide does everything it can to be a very serious reference. Identifications are concise yet very detailed, focusing on exactly what you need to know in order to properly identify your mushroom. They even flat-out tell you that if you're not sure, don't eat it. Common sense, you'd think, but there are some people who'd risk poisoning in their quest for woodland whimsy.
But yes. Mushrooms mushrooms mushrooms. You can live for them, dye with them, and eat to your heart's content so long as you do so with proper experience and education under your belt. This is a good book to have along with Mushrooms Demystified. Oh, and note that this guide is mostly for the west coast folks, especially California.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. Just flipping through was fun, and I truly want to g mushroom hunting with someone who actually knows what they're doing. We've lost the art of foraging for food. Maybe mushroom hunts really could bring back that spirit.
But yes. Mushrooms mushrooms mushrooms. You can live for them, dye with them, and eat to your heart's content so long as you do so with proper experience and education under your belt. This is a good book to have along with Mushrooms Demystified. Oh, and note that this guide is mostly for the west coast folks, especially California.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. Just flipping through was fun, and I truly want to g mushroom hunting with someone who actually knows what they're doing. We've lost the art of foraging for food. Maybe mushroom hunts really could bring back that spirit.
June 23, 2010
This book is the field companion to the stay-at-home-tome Mushrooms Demystified: A Comprehensive Guide to the Fleshy Fungi, but don't let its mycena-thin silhouette confuse you: it's just as packed to the gills with useful knowledge, zany stories, and pictures of crazy mushrooms and crazier mushroom-lovers as its girthy sibling. This book stays in my hiking bag from November to March. I've beat my copy up mercilessly, but the binding and pages are sturdy. Couldn't ask for much more in a regional field guide.
March 25, 2021
I mean, just look at that cover.
It's a field guide. I think field guides are generally kind of untrustworthy, so don't take this as a strong endorsement of the book's epistemic quality. But it's genuinely enjoyable, and it does a good job of not just being a list of mushrooms.
It's a field guide. I think field guides are generally kind of untrustworthy, so don't take this as a strong endorsement of the book's epistemic quality. But it's genuinely enjoyable, and it does a good job of not just being a list of mushrooms.
October 6, 2019
This was a Christmas gift and I've been anxiously awaiting the mushrooms that the autumn rains promise. Just got back from a long forest walk and it was so much fun to find and learn more about dozens of different kinds of mushrooms using this handy guide.
January 9, 2010
this book is the shit
August 29, 2023
Great resource to learn about local mushrooms which I’ve been taking out into the woods while foraging.
In conjunction with local lectures and forestry walks, this book prepared me to start foraging on my own
In conjunction with local lectures and forestry walks, this book prepared me to start foraging on my own
February 5, 2008
If you're at all interested in foraging for mushrooms, this is your book. It's very easy to use, very well-written, very informative, and very entertaining. I have used it as not only a field guide, but also as bedtime reading, as a cookbook, and as inspiration for mushroom adventures. The simple key is clear, and the author gives you specific guidelines for knowing (or not knowing) that you've found an edible or otherwise interesting fungus.
Combined with some hands-on guidance (whether from your local mycological society, the Audobon Society, or my very own school, Arctos), this is a great springboard for making your life more gourmet and more hike-filled at the same time. Plus, if you live in Portland, mushroom-hunting may even make you look forward to the rainy (read: bountiful) months!
Combined with some hands-on guidance (whether from your local mycological society, the Audobon Society, or my very own school, Arctos), this is a great springboard for making your life more gourmet and more hike-filled at the same time. Plus, if you live in Portland, mushroom-hunting may even make you look forward to the rainy (read: bountiful) months!
July 30, 2021
Delightful.
May 23, 2021
This is a treasure! The images, the language, I love it! This is probably my favorite reference book in my collection.
November 30, 2015
Thank you so much to the Metchosin Mycological Society for recommending this book. Aurora really does celebrate the FUN in fungi. It's a cute little hippy hip book too. His quick key to mushrooms on the inside covers is easy to follow. The book is sprinkled with fun things like this:
I was happy to be reacquainted with Hideous Gomphidius (Gomphidius glutinosus) (needs to be said aloud), Fluted Black Elfin Saddle (Helvella lacunosa), Witch's Butter (Tremella mesenterica), Orange Peel Fungus (Aleuria aurantia), and my favourite Lobster Mushroom (Hypomyces lactifluorum) as a memory of our foray at Royal Roads.
Some of my favourite books lead me to other books and this is no exception. Aurora's excerpt from Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov about "The Russian Sport of hodit' po gribi" left me wanting more.
I agree completely with the back cover:
In a forest feckless fungophile Fred
Had a thief point a gun at his head
"Keep your jewels and gold!"
Said the highwayman bold,
"I'll take your basket of Boletes instead!" - Charles Sutton
I was happy to be reacquainted with Hideous Gomphidius (Gomphidius glutinosus) (needs to be said aloud), Fluted Black Elfin Saddle (Helvella lacunosa), Witch's Butter (Tremella mesenterica), Orange Peel Fungus (Aleuria aurantia), and my favourite Lobster Mushroom (Hypomyces lactifluorum) as a memory of our foray at Royal Roads.
Some of my favourite books lead me to other books and this is no exception. Aurora's excerpt from Speak, Memory by Vladimir Nabokov about "The Russian Sport of hodit' po gribi" left me wanting more.
"All alone in the drizzle, my mother, carrying a basket, would set out on a long collecting tour. Toward dinnertime, she could be seen emerging from the nebulous depths of a park alley, her small figure cloaked and hooded in greenish-brown wool, on which countless droplets of moisture made a kind of mist all around her. As she came nearer from under the dripping trees and caught sight of me, her face would show an odd, cheerless expression, which might have spelled poor luck, but which I knew was the tense, jealously contained beatitude of the successful hunter."
I agree completely with the back cover:
"Over 200 edible and poisonous mushrooms are depicted with simple checklists of their identifying features, as author David Arora celebrates the fun in fungi with the same engaging blend of wit and wisdom, fact and fancy, that has made his comprehensive guide, Mushrooms Demystified, the mushroom hunter's bible."Yay! Another book!
July 16, 2020
Purely delightful, essential for an mushroom hunter with a bizarre sense of humor
September 13, 2019
This is still a landmark work in amateur mycology. I think back on it now as being borne out of a rainy several years following a 7 year drought in California. Mushrooms were suddenly everywhere-people became mushroom collectors all over the place. Mycological interest and knowledge boomed and this book rode that wave. I still see it on people’s bookshelves today. Very bay area in the way it is written a nice mix of funny and an earnest desire to educate.
July 29, 2011
This is the most eccentric little pocket guide to mushrooms I have ever seen. It includes, not only what is edible and not, but which mushrooms make good dyes, with examples as well as recipes for specific varieties of mushrooms. With extra bonus goodies like short stories, memories of long time mushroom hunters and a few poems. It is the most readable and memorable guide I've seen.
November 12, 2013
The best thing going for this guide is that it fits in a hip pocket. Meant to be brought out to the field, the photos and descriptions make it easy for a novice to determine whether that specimen is tasty or questionable. Easy to identify the easy species, but for more advanced identification, look to his Mushrooms Demystified, conveniently cross-referenced.
October 6, 2009
This book is a kick as well as being informative. Unfortunately it doesn't cover Eastern mushrooms. Maybe that's why it said nothing about my favorite orange cathedral-like stinkhorn.
December 10, 2016
Yay mushrooms!!
August 24, 2023
What kind of name is that for a guide book?! A good one in this case. I am not a lover of eating mushrooms all that much but I love mushrooms in regards to hunting them, selling them, looking at them and all the joys walking through the woods in pursuit bring. By far this is the best book for the mushroom hunter. Incredible pics, extensive list. Info on edible, poisonious and hallucinogenic all are here in an incredibly easy to use book. Simply the best and a joy to read! Who knew there were so many kinds of boletes or agaracus? This book lists them all. Discriptions are concise with edibility, key features, notes all highlited. And the photos are beautiful and super clear in vivid color with great pics of hunters holding the fungi (including wood nymphs, blue hair colored hunters and orchastra musicians holding their precious jewels.) Not to be missed!
November 17, 2025
Finally getting around to marking this as "read" on here, even though I've probably "read" it (referenced it) about a couple dozen times out in the field & at home.
This book is the GOAT for mushroom hunting pocket guides, imho. I absolutely love it. David Arora is a great writer, and very knowledgeable in this field. This book is simple, funny, and it gives me confidence identifying some of the most common mushrooms you'll see in the PNW. Great color pictures, descriptions, and a dichotomy key in the front and back cover.
If you're getting into mushroom hunting, I can't recommend this book enough. And if you're feeling real nerdy, there is of course, the bible: Mushrooms Demystified
This book is the GOAT for mushroom hunting pocket guides, imho. I absolutely love it. David Arora is a great writer, and very knowledgeable in this field. This book is simple, funny, and it gives me confidence identifying some of the most common mushrooms you'll see in the PNW. Great color pictures, descriptions, and a dichotomy key in the front and back cover.
If you're getting into mushroom hunting, I can't recommend this book enough. And if you're feeling real nerdy, there is of course, the bible: Mushrooms Demystified
August 18, 2024
A classic fun, funky guidebook that through pictures of people as much as through descriptions provides an in-depth depiction of mushroaming culture as well as a survey of mushrooms. This book has been the standard-bearer for western U.S. mushroom field ID for the past few decades. Anyone with more than a passing interest in fungi will have a weathered copy in their knapsack, bookshelf, or automobile...that is, if they didn't leave it in the forest after being awestruck at the sight of the bounty it celebrates.
June 22, 2021
It is only 4 stars because it frequently references Mushrooms Demystified (MD), another book by David Arora, in the various detailed mushroom descriptions. And while I understand the necessity for that in order to keep this book a good size for fieldwork, this really isn't a stand alone book if you want to get into the full spectrum of possible mushrooms out there.
Which means I'll have to get my hands on Mushrooms Demystified to complete my collection!
Which means I'll have to get my hands on Mushrooms Demystified to complete my collection!
October 16, 2017
So, the cover, yeah, that happened. My husband told me about this book and I borrowed it from the library. When I checked it out, I thought I must have gotten the wrong book. The cover is ridiculous. It features a guy in a tuxedo holding a trumpet and a giant mushroom with a crazy grin on his face. Don’t let this stop you.
The book is genius. Very well done and super helpful.
The book is genius. Very well done and super helpful.
September 20, 2020
Who knew that sprinkling a therapeutic dose of humour on a mushroom guide would make it so much more interesting, and even a bedside book?
This book was recommended by a local bookseller, and he obviously knows what he's talking about.
I highly recommend this guide for local foragers, it's already helped me.
This book was recommended by a local bookseller, and he obviously knows what he's talking about.
I highly recommend this guide for local foragers, it's already helped me.
July 17, 2021
The Only PNW Fungus Book you Need
From Recipes to Dichotomous Keys, Arora's masterpiece has it all. Suprisingly personal among nature guides, it is a good review of the more visible fungus of the region and includes extremely responsible, candid, and honestly funny information about all findable fungus.
From Recipes to Dichotomous Keys, Arora's masterpiece has it all. Suprisingly personal among nature guides, it is a good review of the more visible fungus of the region and includes extremely responsible, candid, and honestly funny information about all findable fungus.
August 27, 2017
This is a fun guide to hunting mushrooms in the Western US. Lots of tips and information presented in an easy-to-read conversational style, interspersed with wacky pictures, little stories and essays. I'm no mushroom-hunter but I expect this would be useful to anyone who was.
December 30, 2018
I absolutely adore this book. From the writing style, to the descriptions, to the photographs, it is a true celebration of mushrooms. I do need to get the companion book so I can truly unlock the depths of its potential uses.
June 20, 2017
Excellent field guide, small enough to pack with good photos and basic info for edibles as well as other fungi IDs.
February 6, 2018
This is a fantastic reference for mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest. There are lots of photos, and it really is perfectly pocket-sized. It's definitely quirky-- but in the best way possible.
March 8, 2018
Love this guide. Hilarious cover and extremely useful and practical information on the inside. It fits right in the back pocket of your jeans, too, which is awesome.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews