Preface and AcknowledgmentsIntroductionCh. 1Classification and Naming3Ch. 2What Fungi Do and How They Do It16Ch. 3Fungi as Pathogens of Food Crops35Ch. 4Fungi as Agents of Catastrophic Tree Diseases52Ch. 5Ergot of Grain Crops69Ch. 6Mycotoxins: Toxic By-Products of Fungal Growth85Ch. 7Mycoses: Fungus Diseases of Humans99Ch. 8Medicinal Molds113Ch. 9Yeasts for Baking and Brewing132Ch. 10Edible and Poisonous Mushrooms147Ch. 11Hallucinogenic Mushrooms172Ch. 12Wood Decay186Ch. 13Interactions of Fungi and Insects202Ch. 14Symbiotic Relationships of Fungi with Plants217Epilogue230Notes235Index245
Hudler's light-hearted approach to the subject of the impact of fungi on human history is refreshing and will attract students and lay people who have some interest in this area. Better yet, it will entice readers who were not concerned with this topic at all before delving into the book... [Hudler] is to be commended for discovering some extremely exciting information, some of it little known even to mycologists. -- James W. Kimbrough, University of Florida
George W. Hudler is Professor of Plant Pathology at Cornell University. In addition to teaching courses on plant disease diagnosis and management, he offers a course that has the same name as this book. It is one of the most popular undergraduate courses at Cornell, consistently attracting over three hundred students. Since 1992, he has been editor of Branching Out, a biweekly newsletter to guide tree care professionals in the northeastern United States in choosing the best times and least hazardous means for managing insect and disease pests in residential landscapes.
"An utterly delightful book that can be read by anyone who can hardly tell a shiitake from a morel... Hudler makes an excellent brief on behalf of the fungi."--The New York Times Book Review "Thoroughly entertaining... Hudler takes readers on an enthralling and informative tour of this much maligned kingdom."--Publishers Weekly "George Hudler is clearly in love with his subject ... he translates his fascination for all things fungal into a joyful and intelligent read... People who normally shun biology should find it difficult to resist."--New Scientist "[Hudler] presents a remarkable story of the fungi and their impact on human affairs in a highly readable style that will appeal to all... A joy to read."--Choice "Unseen, misunderstood, or regarded with suspicion, we cannot escape [fungi's] influence. [Hudler] explains why in this most readable book."--Nature "Hudler is infectiously--and sometimes amusingly--enthusiastic about his subject, cheering on those who have paid fungi the attention they deserve and castigating those who have ignored them. The result is informative and entertaining popular science. It will be of particular interest to those who pick their own mushrooms or brew their own beer, activities Hudler writes about at length, but it should appeal quite broadly."--Danny Yee, Danny Reviews
"An utterly delightful book that can be read by anyone who can hardly tell a shiitake from a morel... Hudler makes an excellent brief on behalf of the fungi."--The New York Times Book Review "Thoroughly entertaining... Hudler takes readers on an enthralling and informative tour of this much maligned kingdom."--Publishers Weekly "George Hudler is clearly in love with his subject ... he translates his fascination for all things fungal into a joyful and intelligent read... People who normally shun biology should find it difficult to resist."--New Scientist "[Hudler] presents a remarkable story of the fungi and their impact on human affairs in a highly readable style that will appeal to all... A joy to read."--Choice "Unseen, misunderstood, or regarded with suspicion, we cannot escape [fungi's] influence. [Hudler] explains why in this most readable book."--Nature "Hudler is infectiously--and sometimes amusingly--enthusiastic about his subject, cheering on those who have paid fungi the attention they deserve and castigating those who have ignored them. The result is informative and entertaining popular science. It will be of particular interest to those who pick their own mushrooms or brew their own beer, activities Hudler writes about at length, but it should appeal quite broadly."--Danny Yee, Danny Reviews
YA-From the history of the potato and its fungal-caused "blight," which resulted in starvation in Ireland and mass immigration to the United States, to the invention of gingersnap cookies by an ingenious miller faced with an abundance of foul-smelling, gray-colored fungal-infested wheat, this book is a delightful trove of little-known facts. Each chapter captures another facet of fungi capabilities; explains how the history of humanity has been effected by these traits; and even brings in pertinent references to movies, books, or articles. From "sick building syndrome" to penicillin to athlete's foot to mushrooms on a salad, people have had a long-standing love-hate relationship with the Kingdom Fungi. Hudler's presentation is an enjoyable read, which most teens will probably find hard to believe, and it's also useful for reports.-Carol DeAngelo, Kings Park Library, Burke, VA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
True, you don't think you're interested in fungus, but when a patron asks for a book on molds and fungi, this is the most entertaining and informative one there is. It's hard to make fungus interesting, but Hudler has done it, just as he has in his popular plant pathology classes at Cornell University. After a review of history and some basic science, Hudler gets into the entertainment: fungus's effects on everything from bread and wine to penicillin, Dutch elm disease, the Irish potato famine, and sick-building syndrome. Edible and hallucinogenic mushrooms are discussed in scientific and cultural contexts. Sidebars on "Humongous Fungus," "Lip-Smacking Smut," and molds in mystery novels as well as numerous illustrations actually make this a fun book. There are no comparable titles in print. While advanced for high school students, this is excellent for college and public library collections, where needed.ÄLaura E. Lipton, Ctr. for Urban Horticulture, Univ. of Washington, Seattle
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