Toadstools, mushrooms, fungi, edible and poisonous; one thousand American fungi How to select and cook the edible; how to distinguish and avoid the poisonous, with full botanic descriptions. Toadstool poisons and their treatment, instructions to students, recipes for cooking, etc., etc.

About this book

The work is a comprehensive reference on North American fungi, cataloguing roughly one thousand species of toadstools, mushrooms and related fungi. It opens with a technical note about the transcription of typographic conventions, then presents a full title page that identifies Charles McIlvaine, president of the Philadelphia Mycological Center, and Robert K. Macadam as the authors, and outlines the book’s scope: selection and cooking of edible species, identification and avoidance of poisonous ones, detailed botanical descriptions, treatment of toadstool poisons, instructional material for students, and a collection of recipes. The front matter includes a preface recounting McIlvaine’s personal forays into mushroom hunting in West Virginia, a statement of purpose emphasizing the lack of an American‑focused textbook, and an extensive list of illustrations and indexes that map the taxonomic breadth of the text.

The voice is that of a late‑Victorian naturalist, blending meticulous scientific observation with a didactic, almost conversational tone. The prose is formal yet accessible, reflecting the era’s emphasis on classification and practical instruction. Readers who enjoy detailed field guides, historical mycology, or culinary explorations of wild foods will find the book rewarding, especially those with a penchant for the intersection of botany, medicine and gastronomy.