A great read about types of muchrooms, how to find them and how to use them differently. I reallyy enojoyed it

Good overview, interesting information. Not great to read on pdf. Oh well. Love Stamets, will continue reading his stuff.

This appears to be a great resource. I had a hard time with the electronic format--print will do it more justice.

Psilocybin Mushrooms in Their Natural Habitats is a well researched, meticulously documented monograph on psychoactive fungi with an emphasis on ID, habitat, appearance, and foraging by Paul Stamets. Due out 10th June 2025 from Penguin Random House on their Clarkson Potter imprint, it's 256 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

The author is a mycologist and forager with decades of experience. He does a good job of writing in an accessible manner which is understandable for everyone. Although some of the book's content is aimed at foraging, culture, and use of psychoactive fungi, the bulk is taken up with documentation of the various species in-situ, and a fascinating in-depth history of humankind's complex relationship to them. (Fascinating backstory included regardning the McKenna brothers' hypothesis that the use of psychoactive fungi gave humanity a psychological advantage and helped their advancement, aka the "stoned ape" hypothesis).

The book is full of lush, clear, full-color photos as well as facsimile documents, ancient historical relics, maps, and art. Although accessible to laypeople, the author does a meticulous job of annotation throughout, and the chapter notes are worthwhile and will provide keen readers with many (many!) hours of further reading. There's a solid glossary and cross-referenced index. Proper binomial nomenclature is used throughout.

The chapter containing info on the use of psychoactive fungi is precise, meticulously recorded (although largely anecdotal) and technical. He links to ongoing scientific research on neurogenesis, neuroplasticity, and synaptogenesis.

Five stars. Interesting, professionally presented and researched. It would be an excellent choice for public library, or post-secondary institutional acquisition, for home use, and possibly gift giving purposes. It definitely deserves shelf space for foragers and self-sufficiency folks.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.