Cover Image: Mushroom Botanical Art

Mushroom Botanical Art

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Member Reviews

I don't know what it is about mushrooms... they're just cute! I can't help but enthusiastically point at them when I discover a whole cluster during a walk in the woods. These illustrations have an almost meditative effect on me - they make for great art references, and I plan to use them for background inspiration for my next drawings.

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It’s amazing how many types of mushrooms there are in the world. This book is a compilation of 11 books of artists from Italy, France, Germany and Japan who drew them in the 18th and 19th century. You will find almost nothing but exquisitely drawn (some coloured) and highly detailed illustrations of the plant with brief captions. Cross sections are featured for some of them.

Mycologists or those who are into fungi botanical art will treasure this book. It’s made me think of drawing the mushrooms I found by the condo poolside!

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What a gorgeous book! Mycology is a fascinating subject and I’m excited to this this book as a reference for my art
Can’t wait for more beautiful botanical books like this!

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If you enjoy old botanical drawings this is pure gold. The drawings of the different kinds of mushrooms and fungi are wonderful and so very beautiful.

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Absolutely obsessed with this Mushroom artbook! The quality of artwork is incredible, even though an ebook I was awed at the level of skill. You can tell the artist is passionate about mushrooms, and it was so fun looking at the different kinds that exist! Like nature documentaries, it reminds me how big this planet is, and all the amazing things that are just outside our doors.

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All the illustrations in this book are gorgeous. I have never seen many of the types of mushrooms in here before and I enjoyed looking through them a lot. The information about the categories and the artists was interesting as well. I love cottagecore and this definitely helped fuel my obsession. I would recommend this for a fun read if you like nature and pretty art.

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All the illustrations were brilliantly done, and there were also descriptions of each category of mushroom at the beginning of the chapters. Definitely satisfied my need for a cottagecore read (unintentional rhyme, sorry)!

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Really beautiful illustrations! The book takes us on a trip through time by way of Mushrooms! It can't get much more delightful than that. Some are super scientific and belong in text books while some illustrations would be at home as artwork in a museum. My favorite were the blue ones and especially the reds ones. I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. And if you love mushroom botanical art, you'll enjoy it too.

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These beautiful illustrations would be absolutely stunning in print. I really enjoyed seeing all the different types of mushrooms, many of which I have never seen before. There's just something so cool about all of the different shapes, colors, and patterns. This would make a great display book for your coffee table, to be flipped through and enjoyed by all.

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This is an awesome collection of mushroom art. The artwork is very interesting and the information about the artists is also really interesting. It was cool to read that these were all used as records in the time before photography.

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I have always loved botanical art but mostly flowers and foliage. Only recently did I start being fascinated with fungi. Two of the books I have enjoyed the most this year had fungi at its core (Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon and Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia). I officially became a fan of Kingdom Fungi when I saw Fantastic Fungi on Netflix.

Mushroom Botanical Art is a must-have collection not only for fungi enthusiasts, it is also a great art and historical reference. The illustrations date as far back as the 18th century but the clarity and details are unbelievable. I also think this is the first time I saw Japanese botanical art of mushrooms and I love the aesthetic so much. Each page is a piece of art--  absolutely gorgeous and presented in a luxurious edition.

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This is a beautiful book that gives due space to the prints that it showcases, allowing every lovely image to stand on its own rather than cramming too much into a limited space. The topic of mushrooms and mycology has gained increasing attention and popularity in recent years, and this book would be an appealing companion for anyone with an affection for fungi. It is easy to recommend as a gift or as a research source. The international perspective is a particularly remarkable feature, connecting to significant art-historical touchstones that had wide-reaching impacts on visual culture to the present day.

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This beautifully illustrated collection would be of interest to any mycophile or just general appreciator of historical plant illustrations. Bold colors and unique styles keep the work interesting throughout. Perhaps the only criticism is the lack of description of the plates themselves. For example, you may find yourself interested in a particularly fascinating-looking mushroom; say the purple and green topped-russula heterophylla found within the "Illustrated Catalog of the Most Common Edible Mushrooms and Confusing Poisonous Mushrooms in Italy" section. That's the extent of your information on that particular fungi: the origin and the section of the book in which it is found. You'd have to investigate outside of the book to find out more. However, this is a botanical art collection and not an illustrated guide. So perhaps the book does achieve one of its goals of inspiring more interest in mycology through this way.

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This book is filled with gorgeous illustrations of mushrooms. Each page shows a new kind of this fungus. I highly recommend this book if you want a easy light art book to read whenever you need something fun to do

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This was a beautiful book! I especially loved seeing the illustrations from Japan as most of my other mushroom books only feature ones from Europe. It was a treat to see mushrooms in Edo period style.

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You might be thinking, Mushroom art? Really? But these incredible organisms are a huge part of our planet’s ecosystem, and these paintings are simply breathtaking. Whether you admire them as a scientific curiosity or have been steeped in the childhood magic of mushrooms as homes for fairies, and all manner of fairytale creatures, you’ll be enraptured by these gorgeous artworks

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I’m still not sure why I even “read“ this, but the illustrations were absolutely gorgeous, so no regrets.

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This is an adorable reference/art book - a perfect gift for any nature lover.

Delicate and gorgeous drawings and identification of various types of mushrooms. I loved flipping through it!

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This book is filled with beautiful illustrations. A wonderfully curated collection that is perfect for nature lovers as well as art lovers.
I enjoyed it immensely.

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This was so cute, I loved the art. Many of these illustrations could be used as inspiration for embroidery, even, and I'm really looking forward to it.

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