Fantastic Fungi: How Mushrooms Can Heal, Shift Consciousness, and Save the Planet

I have studied natural and urban systems most my life and have always appreciated the significance of soil ecology to that relationship. However, I did not realize how limited my appreciation was until I read Fantastic Fungi. This beautifully written and artfully produced book escorted me to a new place. And, I enjoyed every minute of the journey.From this new place, I started to see the elaborate fiber from which everything grows, dies, and is renewed. The book will take you on a fantastic journey that will improve you understanding of the world.

Another gem from Paul Stamets! This is a Stamets Coffee Table book that anyone can read, it’s not as intimidating as Paul’s other books. A wonderful companion book to a great film, I was able to see the film in the theatre and I was very impressed! I’m super happy to see Paul Stamets collaborating with Micheal Pollan, I’m very fond of both of their books and their lectures! A very lovely book, nice and clean, not covered in ugly stickers like Barnes and Noble does. Who puts stickers on beautiful books? I love leaving my copy out on the coffee table, my friends have enjoyed thumbing through the pages, and even some of their younger kids enjoyed the photos and started getting excited about mushrooms! I’m very happy with the book, the price was excellent, and I had the book from Amazon long before it was really available at book stores! The shipping with my Amazon Prime was fast and free, the book arrived undamaged about 48 hours after I ordered it. Definitely buy this book. It’s beautiful, the photos and essays are brilliant and thought provoking, and supporting Paul Stamets and his work with bees and mushrooms is money very well spent! Glad to see this book come out, this book fills a nice gap, just like Paul’s other books and also Michael Pollan’s latest book, a great way to open the conversation about mushrooms with other people. Buy this book right now!

Very beautiful mushroom anthology to enjoy while drinking a coffee... I recommend it. I love the photography. Love it.

First, what this book ISN’T: It’s NOT A GUIDE FOR GROWING SHROOMS. For that, may I recommend The Mushroom Growers Bible by Dr Mandrake & Virginia Haze. I also understand Paul Stamet’s other book Guide to Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms is a great source but I haven’t received it yet and can’t review it. That said…Fantastic Fungi IS a beautiful companion book to the documentary on Netflix with the same title. The movie really piqued my interest in the world of mushrooms and this book takes it further with even more information and beautiful illustrations. I was absolutely mesmerized with the movie and this book elaborates on the subject even further. Bottom line, if you like the documentary, GET THIS BOOK, but you don’t need to watch it to enjoy the plethora of information this book has. Lastly, I thought there was a mistake and I paid too little! The quality of this book is something I’d pay $40+ for, so I’m over the moon about the quality and price point. As others have mentioned, it’s a great coffee table book that’s not oversized (think text book style) you can leave out to pique other’s interest.BUY THIS BOOK if you want to learn even more on the amazing subject of mushrooms!

I have several books that Paul Stamets has published. This book is different than his other books that he wrote himself. However, I do think the contributions by other mushroom enthusiasts and mycologists adds fascinating perspectives to the topic. This book right me that fungus shares 99% of our DNA and that mushrooms do far more to keep the soil thriving and rejuvenated than I ever thought.There is a section where the contributors even offer contrary views to "The Stoned Ape Theory." Some contributors offer evidence for it, while others argue against it. So, it shows that we are barely scratching the surface on mycology and its applications to physical and psychological health and the ecology of the earth.

I learned about the book after seeing the PBS special, which BTW is great. This book is a fun and interesting read, but each chapter is written by a different author -- some better than others.

This is a fun, wide-ranging guide to different aspects of mycology from pharmacology and environmental remediation to culinary and psychedelic use. The photos are gorgeous, and the essays are wide-ranging enough that mushroom fans are likely to find something that interests them. I was so pleased with the book that I watched the movie that the book is a companion to afterwards. As with so many instances, the book is way better than the movie. The book was about a fascinating aspect of nature, whereas the movie was a lot more woo-woo metaphysical crap.

I came to this text AFTER having seen the same titled documentary on Netflix. I loved the documentary and equally love the text but the text allows more to more easily come back to the massive amounts of information on many topics concerning mycology. It’s because of this text and the documentary that I developed a great desire to learn more about fungi (mycology) and have been reading other related texts, spending time in my surroundings looking for mushrooms, and developing connections with others interested in the field through social media. The book makes this retired scientist happily a devoted amateur of mycology. I suspect it will make one of you too.