I've followed this account on IG and was thrilled that a book was being published! Packed with information and color charts, this beautiful book will be incredibly useful for home dyers, artists and naturalists.

This is a beautiful art book! I could look at these colors forever. I can’t wait to see the pages in person!

A gorgeous and beautiful book that introduced me to the beautiful world of mushroom dyes. I had not ever thought about using mushrooms as dye before, and this book took my expectations and ran with them. 5/5

Wonderfully comprehensive with beautiful illustrations and photos! I will absolutely be purchasing this book for myself. The only note I will make is that this is only a book about mushrooms and does not go into lichen dyeing, which is fine.

This book contains a ton of really useful information, and the design and photography in it is really helpful. The organization by color is really easy to use. This will be a great reference and I'm excited to use the concepts and techniques.

This book is beautiful and fun. I think it would make a great shelf edition, unique coffee table book, or gift for someone who likes mushrooms, foraging, interior design, painting, color theory, etc.

This is a great resource. I’ve been researching this topic for a while for a children’s nature book and project that I have a grant for, so I’ve been reading books on the topic (there aren’t many) and following Facebook groups on the subject. It’s such a fascinating way to create dye and paint, and the colors are gorgeous and so varied once you start adding mordants like tin, iron and soda ash. I would have preferred to have photos of the mushrooms for identification purposes (there are crude drawings and detailed descriptions) and more photos of the steps, plus more detailed instructions for the actual dye and paint making. The bulk of the book is the color swatches for each of the featured mushrooms. There are hundreds of pages of these and it will be an invaluable resource for anyone who uses mushrooms for dyeing.

I read a temporary, self destroying digital ARC of this book for review.

This was a really cool book. Basically, it runs through what sorts of mushrooms can be made into what dyes and pigments, and how you do it. Will I start dying things with mushrooms? Turns out it's actually a pretty complicated process, which shouldn't be a surprise, so with my limited space, I likely will not become a master mushroom dyer anytime soon. But it was still a very visually pleasing and interesting book.

The Mushroom Color Atlas is a wonderful book for nature lover and artists alike. From the first few pages, I could tell that I wanted to have this book in my home collection! I may not be an artist by any means but I found it fascinating how so many different colors can be created by certain fungi. The colors were stunning throughout. I really appreciate that the author added some ecological information about the different fungi as well. The only thing that I felt odd was the placement of the Pigments section that detailed preparation. I would have understood the second section a lot more if that information on had been first.

Such a cool title! Thank you to NetGalley and Chronicle Books for access to this digital arc! While in college, I performed a project with using my plant to extract natural dyes to die fabric in place of traditional dyes. This title would have greatly impacted the number of mushrooms I would have used to try to gain color, looking back. I don’t think I used any mushrooms to try to extract color from. I believe most of them were root stock plants so it’s very cool to see that color can be derived from mushrooms. as someone who enjoys watercolor art I can see this pairing well with soil based watercolors and it’s a very unique. I am very excited to see how I can incorporate this knowledge into my art! It’s totally a unique title that natural artists will love!

The Mushroom Color Atlas is a fascinating and gorgeous book to browse through. I didn’t realize that mushrooms would have such an amazing color variety and that they can be used to make dyes.
Whether you plan to make dye or not this is an interesting read.

This gorgeous guide for using mushrooms as dyes is different than any book I've ever read and totally fascinating! This is a stunning book for the eye and a wondrous resource for those who seek to use natural materials for colorants. Spectacular!

I received this DRC from NetGalley.

I didn't know anything about using mushrooms for their pigments, so I was surprised at the variety of colors that could be made. I liked that the author showed the colors using different methods and included directions on how to make your own. I think the one thing I would have appreciated would have been actual pictures of the mushroom types, for identification purposes. At first, I thought it was just a stylistic thing to only have illustrations, but photography was included for the dye making section, so might as well include pictures with the scientific information parts. Interesting book for anyone curious about mushrooms or making natural dyes/ watercolors.

This book is beautiful and informative. I didn't find the black and white drawings of the mushrooms added information, and would have liked color photographs of the mushrooms, just one photograph of each group talked about would have made a big difference. I also would have liked the Process section before the Mushrooms section because then the labels of the different color squares would have made more sense. Overall, it's a gorgeous book that is full of really interesting information.

I love the idea of creating natural dyes for my crafting. I’ve never really considered mushrooms as a dye source before reading this book. I love the illustrations of the various mushrooms (seriously love them!) and enjoyed seeing them throughout the book. The book is great about explaining the actual science of the mushrooms and how to get the dyes to work. The process of creating the dyes is explained very well. Very interesting book and great reference for those interested in creating dyes from mushrooms.

Wow - this book is absolutely fascinating and SO well put together. I learned SO much from this book. I had no idea how versatile mushrooms were and how they were used for dying fabrics, as paints, etc. I can't wait to put some of the knowledge I have gained from this into practice. This has really inspired me. We need more books like this that embrace the natural world and use it for good. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Mushroom Color Atlas by Julie Beeler offers an educational yet accessible guide to natural pigments. The illustrations are incredible. The artist, Yuli Gates, is beyond talented - I need half of her work as prints or wallpaper. The swatches of pigments were also incredibly lovely and vibrant. Between the swatches and botanical illustrations, I could stare at this book for hours. I'll admit the finer points are lost on me, but I thoroughly enjoyed the discussion of the historical use and symbolism behind the colors. I was also amazed at how versatile these fungi are and how the same mushroom can create many different pigments. I thought it was also lovely that the guide is inexhaustive and encourages exploration. I also visited the accompanying website (https://www.mushroomcoloratlas.com/), which is incredibly well-cultivated. It is clear Beeler knows her stuff, and this book is a love letter to the natural world.

This is such a beautifully designed book! The illustrations are stunning and I love that the background information is informative, but not terribly long. The included text is informative, but in a short, accessible way! I love how the various colors are broken down and the layout is so pleasing to flip through. This would be a great addition to any coffee table or bookshelf.

I cannot wait to dive into this book more and learn more about mushrooms!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful resource about colours, the colours of mushrooms, and how to make dyes out of them.
The swatches, colours and the detailed information are wonderful.
It is inspiring to those who are not planning to make the dyes - more photographs would have been an immense help.
Great book for mycologists, artists, dye makers, colour lovers, nature lovers, crafters.

This is such a cool book, I can’t wait until our patrons see it. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher.

**Review of *The Mushroom Color Atlas* by Julie Beeler**

*The Mushroom Color Atlas* by Julie Beeler is a vibrant and enlightening journey into the world of fungi, revealing the rich spectrum of colors that mushrooms can produce. This book is a treasure trove for artists, foragers, and nature enthusiasts alike, blending scientific detail with artistic inspiration to showcase the chromatic potential of the fungal kingdom.

Julie Beeler, an artist and educator, offers a unique perspective on mushrooms—more closely related to humans than plants—by focusing on their ability to produce a remarkable array of pigments. Through a combination of botanical illustrations, scientific insights, and personal anecdotes, Beeler provides readers with a comprehensive guide to understanding and harnessing the natural colors derived from mushrooms.

The book introduces various types of dye mushrooms, from the commonly known boletes to the intriguing polypores and tooth fungi. Beeler’s expertise is evident in her detailed explanations of how these fungi are used to create dyes, making complex processes accessible even to beginners. The inclusion of foraging tips and color distillation techniques ensures that readers are equipped with practical knowledge for their own experiments.

What sets *The Mushroom Color Atlas* apart is its integration of artistic advice with scientific information. Beeler encourages readers to explore their own creativity by experimenting with mushroom dyes, offering a plethora of color samples and suggestions for using these natural pigments in various artistic applications. Her passion for both art and nature shines through, making the book not only informative but also deeply inspiring.

The historical and personal stories woven throughout the book add depth and context, connecting the reader to the broader narrative of human interaction with nature. These stories, along with Beeler’s engaging writing style, make the book both educational and enjoyable to read.

Visually, *The Mushroom Color Atlas* is a feast for the eyes. The lush, detailed illustrations capture the beauty of fungi and their diverse colors, while the layout and design make the book a delightful addition to any coffee table or library.

In conclusion, *The Mushroom Color Atlas* is an exceptional guide that merges scientific exploration with artistic creativity. Julie Beeler’s expertise and enthusiasm make this book a must-read for anyone interested in the natural world, color theory, or the intersection of art and science. Whether you are a seasoned dyer, a curious forager, or simply a lover of beautiful things, this book will undoubtedly inspire and inform.

I recently have been exploring the outdoors and have been taking pictures of different mushrooms that I see. So, I was interested in learning, and was given an opportunity to read an advance copy of The mushroom color atlas! I learned Mushrooms are more like people than plants. Mushrooms have had more of a roll in textile manufacturing than I ever thought. The book also goes over the history of dye, and the different kinds. Its not the average science book, it keeps your attention throughout the book with a creative twist.

Discover the chromatic wonders of the fungi kingdom and the incredible spectrum of pigments and dyes that can be created from mushrooms.

Thank you Chronicle Books & Netgalley for this digital ARC! I enjoyed this book. I like eating mushrooms that are sold at the grocery store and I’ve always wondered what role mushrooms play in our ecosystem and now, I know after reading this book. I didn’t know that there’s a lot of different types of mushrooms and different colors of mushrooms. I live in the suburbs and I’ve only ever seen 1 type of mushroom here in my neighborhood. I didn’t know that you can create pigments and dyes using mushrooms and it’s not something I’ve ever thought about. I don’t think I would be interested in foraging for mushrooms and making pigments and dyes from them. Would the fashion industry ever dye their clothes using mushrooms? It would probably be more environmentally friendly if that’s something they’re worried about but I don’t know if the fashion industry would ever get on board with this. Would I recommend this book? I would recommend it if you want to use mushrooms to create pigments and dyes or even if you just want to learn about mushrooms and the role they play in our ecosystem. If they didn’t exist, we would have a bunch of dead plants everywhere and that wouldn’t be pretty at all.

The Mushroom Color Atlas is a beautifully colorfully illustrated atlas to fungi by Julie Beeler specifically aimed at artists and naturalists. Due out 3rd Sept 2024 from Chronicle Books, it's 288 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats.

This is a comprehensive reference absolutely full of information specifically about foraging, preparing, and using fungi in the fibre coloring and pigment making process. There's a wealth of knowledge including color charts/swatches, species (including proper (at the time of publication) nomenclature), range, and dyeing tutorials.

There's a whole interesting subset of mycology specifically as it relates to and intersects with the artist community. There are festivals and symposia about pigment-bearing fungi, and a strong grass roots element of experiment minded artists continually tweaking and documenting available knowledge.

This book is full of up-to-date info about how to source and use fungi to make pigments and dyes. She goes into detail about mordants and processes for different fibres, as well as a fairly comprehensive pigment making tutorial aimed at watercolorists.

There isn't much photography in the book outside the actual how-to tutorials, but the book is lavishly illustrated in color throughout by Yuli Gates. Illustrations are very detailed and the different species are certainly recognizable.

The book is arranged in sections: colors (of dye), specific mushrooms (boletes, gilled, polypores, etc), and finally the dye/pigment tutorials.

Five stars. This would be an excellent choice for public library acquisition, for smallholders, fibrecrafters, fibre arts guilds, and similar groups.

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

This book is awesome, especially if you are interested in natural dyes or paints. The color examples alone are worth getting the book as it showcases the entire rainbow derived from simple shrooms. In addition to the color palette, the book describes the dye making process in a way that is easy to understand and feels approachable by folks of any skill level. I do find myself wishing there had been photo references to help identify the mushrooms used, instead of just a few drawings, but I suppose there are other books for that. Either way, I loved the book. 10/10 would read again!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC!