‘The Playful World of Mushrooms’ book review: Diving into the world of mushrooms

‘The Playful World of Mushrooms’ by Ashish Ghimire and Prem Pandey is all about mushrooms, which the authors say are the ‘magical creations of nature’. The shapes, forms, colors, and several other attributes of mushrooms, explained beautifully through the text and illustrated clearly through photos in the book, would make anyone believe that they are indeed the magical creations of nature. When we say ‘fungus’, most people immediately think of mushrooms. However, mushrooms are only a form of fungi with pronounced and easily noticeable fruiting bodies. From the brewing of beer to the modern antibiotics that save our lives, all involve fungi. Fungi make our world more habitable but a lot is yet to be understood about these mysterious creatures. Studying fungi could lead to unraveling the mysterious threads of nature, hitherto hidden from us. The book takes readers on an exciting ride—through the author’s personal joyous interactions and encounters with mushrooms. The first chapter of the book is a personal account of Ghimire’s first-hand experiences with fungi and covers topics such as ecological relationships of fungi with the environment, occurrence and distribution, mushroom biology, life cycle, mushroom foraging, identification, edibility, and poisoning among several others. The chapter also sheds light on the relationship between people and mushrooms, and the different ways in which fungi can be used.

The second chapter by Ghimire discusses the rich diversity of mushrooms that Nepal possesses. The third chapter by Pandey tries to make readers acquainted with the standard practices in the cultivation of several mushrooms from around the world. Also, included is a beautiful poem by Ghimire that inspires every one of us to live like mushrooms—calm, grounded, progressive, and resilient.

I think the book has been able to deliver what it has tried to with the set of knowledge and experiences of the authors, made better by the expertise of the editors, renowned in the field of mycology. Simple and understandable language, short narratives and first-hand stories fitting the context of the book, and colorful pictures of mushrooms gathered by the authors from different mushroom expeditions are among a few things that make this book a unique work of art. The authors are plant pathologists with several years of experience working with fungi. Years of experience in teaching at several institutions have also probably come in handy in presenting the book in a form that could be easily understood even by readers who are not mycology students. It has been mentioned in the book that over 1,200 species of mushrooms are found in Nepal. The book, however, includes descriptions of around 120 mushrooms. The book also talks about sensitive topics such as psychedelic mushrooms, mushroom poisoning, and the prospects of mushroom foraging traditions. As the title suggests, the book aims to be a fun introduction to mushrooms. The use of diagrammatic representations indeed makes it an enjoyable book to go through. There’s definitely a lot to unpack in this book. It might not be everybody’s cup of tea but those who want a deeper understanding of nature, and in particular mushrooms, will find this to be a treasure trove.