Mushrooms of the Southeast is my new go-to companion.

Mushrooms of the Southeast by Todd F. Elliott and Steven L. Stephenson is going to be a valuable tool for mushroom hunting. Here is why:
I live in Georgia and recognize a lot of mushrooms in the book that I have personally found in my region.
The key with color coded pages makes the book easy to navigate.
Pictures and written descriptions of one species are on the same page which saves me flipping back and forth.
Visual identification is very easy. Mushrooms found in the field can be compared with excellent photographs in the book that show each mushroom from different angles and in different stages of growth.
I enjoy reading this book. The introduction, the book's organization, the beautiful pictures, and detailed descriptions clearly demonstrate the expertise that went into this book. Now I feel that I do not always need to haul my whole library with me on my mushroom hunts. This one book in my backpack will suffice.