Fungi of Temperate Europe

Thomas Læssøe is a mycologist and senior researcher at the Natural History Museum of Denmark. He has previously been a senior scientific officer at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and associate professor at the University of Copenhagen. He is the author of several guide books. Jens H. Petersen is a mycologist, graphic designer and photographer. He taught mycology at Aarhus University for more than 20 years and is the author of The Kingdom of Fungi (Princeton). Petersen and Læssøe created the online identification tool MycoKey (mycokey.com).

Fungi of Temperate Europe is one of the most comprehensive mycological guides ever published. Featuring more than 7,000 photographs, this lavish two-volume set treats more than 2,800 species of fungi across the region. Including agarics, boletes, chanterelles and morels but also more obscure groups such as cyphelloids, cup fungi, pyrenomycetous fungi and hysterioids, this guide takes an unprecedentedly broad approach to communicating fungal diversity. All species are illustrated with one or more photographs and information is given on morphology, ecology and distribution within temperate Europe. Furthermore, 1,500+ species are discussed as potential look-alikes. The books are divided into eighty "form groups," each starting with an innovative comparison wheel with guiding photos, distinguishing characteristics and drawings of essential microscopic features. Poisonous and edible species are colour coded within the text.