The 7 Best fungi Field Guides (2023 reviews)

We consider a fungi field guide to be a worthy investment in the long run. We are here to help you choose the right one for your purposes from all the best available products in market today.

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Our Top Picks:

Best Overall: Buy: National Audubon Society fungi Field Guide READ REVIEW

Best For foraging In New England: Buy: Teresa Marrone Field Guide READ REVIEW

Best For New foragers: Buy: Karl B MCKNIGHT fungi Field Guide READ REVIEW

Best For beginner: Buy: Teresa Marrone fungi Field Guide READ REVIEW

Best Field Guide: Buy: Timothy J Baroni fungi Field Guide READ REVIEW

Best For edibles: Buy: Orson Miller fungi Field Guide READ REVIEW

Best For any mushroom fan: Buy: Borsato fungi Field Guide READ REVIEW

Best Overall: National Audubon Society fungi Field Guide

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The look and feel of this guides are consistent with the high quality we're used to from the rest of National Audubon Society's lineup. These Audubon books are great and give you lots of information and great pictures. They can have so many different appearances at different stages of growth. It points readers to the appropriate descriptions that include notes on range, emergence timing, and habitat which can help one narrow down identification among a suite of possibilities. The drawings makes it easy to see if it’s the correct plant bird or mushroom or tree.

These audubon books are great and give you lots of information and great pictures. It is designed for total beginners. The glossy, high-quality plates are arranged systematically and very clearly refer the user to the pertinent comprehensive text descriptions. This is a must have book if you spend time outdoors.

• Clear photos and text helps determine the species and yheir potability
• Better for carrying around while out looking
• Beautiful photos, relevant information, and logical layout
• A must have for anyone serious about mushrooms

Best For foraging In New England: Teresa Marrone Field Guide

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The teresa marrone field guide might be a relatively new release, but it's still nothing short of impressive this year, thanks to multiple price cuts and added new features over the past few months. This book is a must have for northeastern mushroom hunting. It fits nicely in a small shoulder purse. The pocket size makes it the perfect companion to carry into the woods. The information is accessible without being dumbed down too much, and there is a lot of good information about mushrooms in general to help you in identifying the species that you find.

The book is laid out very well from a beginner’s stand point. It is large and better reading for older eyes at probably 8 by 11. Other than that very informative book. The categories for each page are excellent too, and the'similar-looking species' section is absolutely critical for eliminating possible look-alikes. The book is a must have for northeastern mushroom hunting.

• A must have for anyone foraging in new england area
• Easy to use and pocket size
• Shows the edible mushrooms in the north east with colored pictures
• Great pocket field box for quick id

Best For New foragers: Karl B MCKNIGHT fungi Field Guide

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The karl b mcknight fungi field guide is capable of outshining several other guide featured in this list in overall features for the price point. There are many mushroom guides in print, as culinary interests in these fungal fruiting bodies grows. This book is excellent for getting to know local mushroom species and exploring on a hike. It's compact due to the fact that it provides only the most pertinent information for mushroom identification and edibility. It can be used as a guide when hunting and collecting eatibles.

The diagram included to help identify shrooms is excellent. It is great for new foragers. The book itself is small and easy to carry out into the field as well. It is easy to carry out into the field as well.

• Thoughtfully laid out and pleasurable to use
• Good small size and full of useful information and detailed drawings
• Illustrations are detailed and well done
• Excellent field book of mushrooms, gorgeous watercolour paintings

Best For beginner: Teresa Marrone fungi Field Guide

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The teresa marrone fungi field guide is specially designed for your daily usage and has all useful features. This book is the perfect size to take in a backpack or hip pouch on a walk or hike through the woods. It has LOADS of mushrooms. It is easy to understand and well laid out. It will keep you from eating poison mushrooms if you take time to compare pictures and read descriptions. It is best for comparing to wild finds. Wine caps are available in grow-it-yourself kits, for outdoor gardens. It is easy to carry with when out foraging.

• Gives details on edible or non-edible varieties of mushrooms
• A must have for the novice mushroom hunter
• Lot of satisfied buyers

Best Field Guide: Timothy J Baroni fungi Field Guide

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Timothy J Baroni offers a variety of guide for personal choice and yet maintaining quality in all the variants. Baroni's book has great, large (almost half-page), colored photos with an excellent coverage or both gilled mushrooms and numerous other fleshy fungi. It can be used in dry flower arrangements and toy train settings, but the reader should also be made aware of the fact that coltricias are probably among the very few mycorrhizal polypores.

Each individual mushroom is given a rich photo and has a breakdown of its appearance, characteristics and role in nature. It is cleverly colour coded for cross-reference which is absolutely required. There is a color code system for the types you can see when the book is closed for speed.

A wonderful and informative introduction takes you through mushroom structures and there is a glossary of terms in the back. The color pictures are great and the amount of information is incredible.

• Fantastic field guide with full color pictures
• Beautiful color photos and fantastic descriptions of over 550 mushrooms
• One of the new comers and featured product

Best For edibles: Orson Miller fungi Field Guide

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This book is quite comprehensive dealing with mushrooms. It is a great field guide for any library collection. The falcon guide basically forces you to learn scientific names and terminology which is important to avoid confusion and possibly risky mistakes. There is a high reliance on keys, but keys only apply to the species in the guidebook, which is probably less than 20% of the reasonably common species at any particular location—that’s true of any guidebook.

This mushroom guide could use better photographs but it is still the best one out there for hunters and identification. It is easier to navigate around. The photos are good, and the reproduction (print) quality is high. It is very important that you read everything so you can properly identify mushrooms, especially if you intend to eat them.

• Easy to navigate and make identifications
• Has many good quality pictures with the fact and comments equally as defining
• Lot of satisfied buyers

Best For any mushroom fan: Borsato fungi Field Guide

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Not everyone likes to purchase guide for their daily usage, but the borsato fungi field guide would be an anomoly. An Illustrated Guide to the Fantastic, Delicious, Deadly, and Strange World of Fungi" is filled with colorful illustrations, as well as detailed descriptions of various types of fungi, including their appearance, habitat, and culinary and medicinal uses. It includes stories of personal experiences and anecdotes shared by other mycology enthusiasts. If you're into mushrooms then this is the perfect addition to your shelf or coffee table.

This is an excellent book about mushrooms, and covers a generous content. It is a great read for any mushroom fan. It is not the kind of book you'd take out with you while foraging, but it's definitely the kind you'd read on a comfortable afternoon just for fun. This would make a beautiful gift to anyone who loves foraging.

• Excellent book with basic info and covers large content
• Great illustrations and a lot of personal touches make this a compelling read
• One of the new comers and featured product