Mushroom Botanical Art

A gorgeous collection of mushroom and fungi artwork and information. Each chapter is filled to the brim with intricate artwork and detailing on the specific mushroom. This was honestly such a wonderful read and perfect for anyone interested in botany, artwork, or nature!

*Thanks Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review*

An absolutely beautiful and wonderful collection of fungi art, illustrations, drawings and pictures. It’s such a great compilation of many works from eminent experts and enthusiasts in the mycology field- mushrooms and fungi lovers would love this book!

There’s something so amazing about the level of detail in these artworks, and you can really tell the amount of time, love and effort went into the making of these from their respective artists.

I loved the brief little introductory opening prior to each set of illustrations, from whichever historical book, notable person or publication the pictures were shared from. They were beautifully displayed and it was effortless to go through all of these wonderful pieces of art which are all brought together, neat and tidy in this book. Was a great read!

This is an absolutely gorgeous book of information and illustrations of mushrooms. So many mushrooms! Each chapter is prefaced with history of the illustrator and region where the fungi can be found. In certain chapters we are also given information about how the illustrations were printed, which I thought was very interesting given the time period (most illustrations are from the 1700/1800s). Given the all of the effort that went into printing books back then it was truly a labor of love to have such depth and dimension in each illustration.

This book contains both colored illustrations and black and white. The colors used are very beautiful and rich in tone. Even the black and white illustrations are beautifully detailed. Most of the chapters reference European mycologists, but later chapters focus on the fungi found in Japan. The difference in art style was very interesting compared to the earlier drawn mushrooms found in Europe.

This book is a true gem for mycologists, general mushroom fanatics and anyone who finds beauty in nature. I look forward to purchasing a copy for myself. Thank you so much to NetGalley & the publisher for the opportunity to review this beautiful book.

This book and the gorgeous artwork within are sure to please any nature lover. The mushrooms presented are beautiful, detailed, and individual. This would be a great gift for any fungus lover!

Beautiful illustrations throughout the pages, I love embroidery and this would be a lovely book for anyone interested in botany, art, illustrations, painting or embroidery. I will definitely use it in my arts and crafts as shows mushrooms and fungi so perfectly.

This book is gorgeous. It absolutely fascinates me that every piece of beautiful, botanical artwork predates photography. The amount of detail involved in each illustration is amazing, I find it so interesting that people relied on these images for scientific accuracy. I particularly love the Japanese illustrations, there's something so lovely about the Japanese text around the pictures. This would make a gorgeous gift for fungi enthusiasts, or botanical artists, but I think anybody would find this book enjoyable.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book. The art was very beautiful and lively. Very helpful information to have. A delightful book for any nature lover.

This book was absolutely gorgeous and the illustrations looked absolutely gorgeous and provided amazing amounts of inspiration.

It was filled with information about all of the artists and inspired me greatly

*a big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me an arc copy in exchange for an honest review *

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.

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.

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!

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)!

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.

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.

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.

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!

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!

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.

A wonderful collections of prints of various species of mushrooms accompanied by their common name and scientific name. A quaint little book that would make a wonderful gift for a friend or family member who enjoys the outdoors / foraging.

I asked myself, “Do I want to look at a book full of mushroom art?” And I said, “Yes, yes I do.” I’m happy I did, because this book was beautiful. It was a great collection of artwork from a bygone era that had to rely on these talented artists to record their scientific findings. I love botanical artwork and have no regrets reading this book. Looking at beautiful plant artwork is very relaxing.

I don't know how to review art, but here is me trying.

This book is a collection of, as the title suggests, mushroom botanical art. I found this very interesting and I loved the showcasing of different botanists and artists! I do wish there were some actual info about the mushrooms but again, this was really cool for what it is!

If you are a fan of art and/or fungi, check this one out!

4.5 ☆

As a graduated ecologist I really like reading about nature. Reading books about the wonderful kingdom of Fungus is another plus.

I really loved the illustrations and the book can serve as an introduction to the kingdom. So, it is highly accessible for everyone.

I would highly recommend it.

I may not know much about mushrooms but I have always been fascinated with them. As a child we'd go foraging for them in local parks (in a big city).
We'd bring them home and my grandmother would pickle them. So my interest in them started at a young age and it continued into adulthood when I started photographing them as I came
across them in the woods.

This book is so beautifully illustrated and it's even more impressive when you realize these were created in Italy, Germany, France and Japan during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Filled with intricate details, and often rendered in delicate hues of greens and blues, this book would be a great buy for anyone into mycology but also a more casual fan of fungi or those that
appreciate botanical prints. I could also see this being used by artists as a reference guide or maybe for some tattoo inspiration?

Chock-full of interesting and historical mushroom illustrations. A book like this is making headway at just the right time, because mushrooms and botanical drawings have never been trendier. I can see teenagers pasting pages from this book to their bedroom walls to suit their cottage-core aesthetic.

I really appreciate the multi-cultural aspect, it’s so interesting to see different art styles between countries.

I would have liked to see more information about mushroom identification and warnings about eating wild mushrooms.

This book is absolutely GORGEOUS. I wish I could print out every page and have it as a poster in my room. This is the perfect book for Fall to get you in the spirit!

Absolutely gorgeous! I'm such a mushroom fan and every page on this book is filled with beautiful images, and is a gold mine for information. Loved perusing through this!!

A book with beautiful illustrations and very useful for references for any artist. I enjoyed it a lot!

Contents:
In the book there are collections of mushroom pictures by various naturalists. They include works from the 18th and 19th centuries and show very different mushrooms in various states. Some of the mushrooms are cut in half so you can see what they look like from the inside. Others are depicted as they grow in nature.

Opinion:
A beautiful book for artists and mushroom lovers. The illustrations are all lovingly done with lots of detail and in my opinion, are a great source of inspiration to paint a new picture. Most of the illustrations are in color. Some of them are shown as drawings in the book.

Conclusion:
A great and very comprehensive book, for artists looking for a source of inspiration. Therefore, I am only too happy to give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I loved the various artistic approaches in depicting the fungus. It was colorful, beautiful, and I was looking forward to the wide variety displayed. I appreciated the information before each section, but I'd have liked more description about each mushroom. It is more of a showcase of art than an informative book, but it is still a worthwhile read.

Absolutely stunning collection of historical mushroom illustrations. The illustrations are carefully curated, featuring artists from different time priods from all over the world. Each botanical illustrator is introduced, we're given an overview of their work and their contribution to mycology, as well as which mediums they have worked in. However, don't go into this book expecting detailed information about the depicted mushrooms, since this is only an art book, all the information is strictly about the artists. The design of the book is great, the illustrations are really high quality, this book would be a wonderful gift to a mycologist and artist alike.

This is a beautiful book featuring collected pieces of artwork from black and white to full color. I thoroughly enjoyed each illustration and the care the author put into the curation of this collection, including a small introduction into each collection's origin book, I enjoyed the excerpt included from Battarra the most. I expected classic toadstool varieties, but the author also included lesser known shapes that resembled eggs, horns, and coral. This book could be utilized for science or art as reference, or just enjoyed by the casual botanical enthusiast. This book was provided to me in return for an honest review.

Thank you to the author, publisher, designers, and NetGalley for the chance to provide some honest feedback for this publication. Going in, I didn't know much about the subject matter. Despite this fact, I found the book to be a great mix of visually appealing illustrations/graphics and knowledge. I believe that this book is good for a range of readers, including those who just have budding interest to those more keen. Additionally, what sets this book apart from others like it is its graphic appeal. The cover is brilliant -- modern, minimal but interesting. The rest of the book follows suit. I loved this read.

An incredible timeline of people’s curiosity concerning mushrooms! Packed with delicate and vibrant illustrations from the 18th and 19th century, this is a book that mycologists, enthusiasts and artists alike will appreciate. I enjoyed reading the bite sized biographies of those who brought this art to light; particularly that of Kumagusu Minakata, who researched mushrooms throughout Japan, the US and UK, leaving thousands of drawings and information behind. A treasure trove of natural history. Thank you NetGalley!

Toshimitsu Fukiharu guides us through various artists' works of mushroom botanical art throughout history. We learn about the artists across the globe from England to Japan who document their native mushrooms. Through a professional lens, we see how these artists choose to identify and differentiate the mushrooms as well as the scientific regard and importance of each fungi presented.

Beautiful collection of vintage prints. I like that there was context provided for the impact certain series of prints had historically. Ultimately, this is more of a coffee table book than a treatise on botanical art.

A beautiful, informative book filled to the brim with lovely color photos and illustrations of all kinds of mushrooms! Perfect for a mushroom-enthusiast or for someone looking to learn more about these precious fungi. Highly recommend everyone give it a read!

This book is beautifully illustrated. Most of the drawings were in color, but some were in black and white. I liked the ones in color most as mushrooms have lots of interesting colors.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a collection of very old public domain artwork of mushrooms. Some collections are in full color but many are not. Some are definitely more artistic and it is not terribly complete. There are some much nicer collections in the public domain out there IMHO, but some of these are lovely and it's certainly going to be a hit with any mushroom lovers.

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

5 *stars*
What a beautiful book!!! Latvians during fall become crazy mushroom pickers, they will do everything to get home with a basket full of mushrooms. Mushroom sauce with freshly harvested potatoes is one of traditional Latvian foods. I myself am a passionate mushroom picker, so I really loved the illustrations. A lot of the pictures I recognized.

As I was watching the little pieces of mushroom art I was thinking of the artists who drew them. I imagine them walking through the forest with pencils and a notebook, sitting on the old stump and drawing them. Hearing all the forest sounds and just being there in the moment drawing them. Sounds so lovely.

Thanks for the book!
#MushroomBotanicalArt #NetGalley

Well this book delivers exactly what it promises. Mushrooms! I can't say I loved this book, but that is mostly because it isn't my style. I do love the history behind it, I just don't like mushrooms. I feel like this would be a fantastic gift for a chef /foodie in your life. I will totally buy it for my friend who loves to go mushroom harvesting

I’m a simple girl, I see a pretty cover with illustrated mushrooms and I have to get it.

Look at this cover, it’s so gorgeous and the inside it’s just the same, every single illustration was so well done, I’m in awe.

I’m going to be honest and say that I don’t know much about mushrooms outside of the very basic of how they grow and that the colorful ones are the most dangerous but I found this book so very interesting, I could sense the love and care that the authors of the illustrations put on this work, the fact that some of this pictures are dated centuries ago just make this book even more special.

I now just want to move to the countryside and go mushroom hunting.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange of an honest review

This is one of the most beautiful books i have ever seen in my life. Every page makes you want to take it and frame it on your wall.

I adore art (and i am an artist) and i was so so inspired by all of the beautiful works collected in this book and i can’t wait to refer back to it for years to come.

Mushroom Botanical Art is a collection of reproductions of historical botanical prints of mushrooms and other fungi. Originally published in Japanese in 2012, this English language edition is due out 2nd Nov 2021 from Media Do International. It's 208 pages and will be available in ebook format (earlier editions are available in other formats).

This book is full of antique reproduction hand tinted botanical prints with samples of many different species of fungi, showing them in different forms, life stages, and settings. The whole has a retro antique feel, and the page margin decorations, small chapter headings, and fonts used all enhance the overall antique feel.

The chapters are selected from different historical books of mycology from the 18th - 20th centuries and from several disparate geographical areas in Asia, Europe, and the New World. The pictures are drawn from 11 collections and the style of the artist/naturalists and original media varied widely. I was fascinated by how varied the representations of the same species, Amanita muscaria for example, could be whilst still being perfectly recognizable. The reproduction text is still in the original languages (German, Japanese, Italian, French, etc).

It's a fascinating book of history with beautiful illustrations. I would not recommend it as a field guide, but as an interesting book full of fungi, it's wonderful. This would make a nice selection for public library acquisition, for gardeners, gardening groups, smallholders, and lovers of botanical art.

Four stars.

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

Beautiful botanical book plates! The gorgeous illustrations in this tome take us back centuries. Back before we could snap photos on cameras, or use an identification app, how could we learn all the intricate identifiers of mushrooms? How could we learn to safely forage and use these little wonders for medicine and food? These highly detailed, highly scientific illustrations filled that need, and it's amazing to see how varied the styles could be, even for the same plant. Any fancier of fungi is sure to love this mycological volume!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

A compilation of mushroom beautiful, highly-detailed illustrations by 18th and 19th C artists, with short blurbs for context. While I wouldn't give this to someone as a general nonfiction recommendation, I would put it on display frequently and resist weeding it for as long as possible. This book is a treasure for the right audience.

Stunning artwork of a vast variety of mushrooms. Delicate, intricate, informative. Lots to learn and lovely illustrations.

As a lover of old botanical art, this book cover jumped out at me when I saw it. It contains mushroom art from the 18th and 19th century and gives a bit of an background of their painters. I loved flipping through it, learning about mushrooms and historic botanical art at the same time.
I feel though there are more beautiful illustrations out there, a lot of them felt very similar.
But any mushroom lover will appreciate this book for sure.

I thank Netgalley for an ARC to read and review.

Stunning artwork and wonderful drawings! Very interesting to see so many types of mushrooms that I had never seen before.

I wanted to read/look through this book as soon as I saw the title. I quite enjoyed the collection of art, I saw several pieces I’d love to frame. My favorite part had to be Minakata’s mycological illustrations towards the end of the book. These were stunning. It’s great that each section gave a bit of history and information about the person researching and illustrating as well.

An absolutely gorgeous collection of international mushroom drawings. I can only imagine how beautiful it'll be in print! I enjoyed comparing the illustration styles, the use of color and tried putting this into the artistic context of the time when the drawings were created. This is going to be a prized possession of very mushroom and nature illustration lover that comes across this book!

Stunning collection of mushroom art. I just scrolled through the whole book and felt so calm, looking at all the different types of mushrooms. Having lived through the rainyest summer in the history of ever, mushrooms are everywhere right now and I'll sure have an eye out for them on my next woodland walk! I especially loved the Japanese art in the last part of the book. So different in style but similar at the same time. Needless to say, I had to have shroom filled pancakes for dinner;)

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Mushroom Botanical Art by Toshimitsu Fukiharu is a stunning collection of about 2o0 pieces of mushroom art from the 18th to 19th century. The paintings are both aesthetically pleasing, as well as performing a valid scientific practice. At the time, scientists used these mushroom paintings in order to classify and categorize mushrooms and other fungi. I love the intersection between art and science in this book.

Here is an excerpt by the author in the Introduction:

"They are all highly individualistic and unique, and one cannot help but sense the passion of those involved in their production. In the illustrations of mushrooms in section... the half-cut figures charmingly appear to adopt an elegant pose toward the viewer... The beauty of the illustrations shines forth even more brightly."

Overall, I greatly enjoyed admiring this unique collection of mushroom art. Both the European artists and the Japanese artists did an excellent job depicting what they saw. The ones that I admired most of all were the full-color illustrations of mushrooms that were painted using shimmery reds and natural hues. Some of the mushrooms looked like umbrellas. Some of them looked like houses. After reading this book, I now understand why so many fairy tale illustrations include mushrooms in them. Mushrooms are truly magical. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of art in general, you won't regret checking out this book when it comes out in November!

𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐈 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Mushroom Botanical Art
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬: Toshimitsu Fukiharu
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Arts & Photography
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

𝐆𝐔𝐒𝐇:
• A gorgeous collection of mushroom and fungi illustrations with information on certain mushrooms. The art style is delicate and intricate and I love it.
• This book can also serve as a beautiful resource or reference/art book.
• Perfect for anyone interested in art, botany, and nature.
• Would be a great coffee table book.

𝐆𝐑𝐈𝐏𝐄:
• The art can appear repetitive as it primarily focuses on fungi (especially if you're not a fan of fungi)

𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐨𝐫: people interested in botany, nature, and art

Thank you to @NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 𝐌𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠: 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐣𝐨𝐲.𝐜𝐨𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞.

I really enjoyed these illustrations. It was interesting to see the many different types of mushroom illustrations that were done over time.

As a longtime lover and collector of gourmet and medicinal funghi from the woods around the Pacific Northwest in the United States, I can unequivocally say that this book is a must-have for anyone who appreciates the surreal and sublime beauty of nature's mushrooms. The level of detail in the artwork and the wide variety of styles is absolutely stunning!

✨ 4.5 🍄

What a lil gem of a book.

As the title suggests, this is truly a botanical art book featuring various "...mushroom and fungi paintings by European and Japanese naturalists in 18th to 19th century...". If you are looking for something deeply informative and educational, this may be the wrong book for you. However, if you're looking for something to feast your eyes upon and delve into bits and bobs of thoughtfully written, well researched nuggets of historical information regarding various naturalists and mycologists, this is just the book for you!

I loved the beautiful page art for each section and so enjoyed reading each introduction. I also appreciated that the figures in each painting were noted at the bottom of the page so that I could have a reference point to research more information on my own.

I docked half a star as I had been under the impression that all of the artwork in this book would be in color, "...beautiful color plate illustrations of each mushroom will attract both botanical art fans and lover of mushrooms..." and although this is not the case, the artwork is still wonderful and such a treat.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me a temporary eARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily because books are cool!

An absolute beautiful art book about mushrooms in different botanical illustration styles.

My main issue with this book is that we only get the Latin names and mushroom family name and not the common English names. Furthermore is there no other information than the illustration and the Latin name. I would have liked a tiny paragraph or something to go with it, it would have made this a treasure.

3 out of 5 stars for great illustrations, but it could've been 5 with some more information.

Okay so yes, I'll be honest with you: I may not be the target audience for this book. I am not a botanist. I neither work with nor hunt for mushrooms. I will likely never need to identify any fungus with this level of specificity. BUT? Examining these gorgeous drawings of various mushrooms was calming to me in a way that I cannot describe or explain. I want to hang prints of these illustrations all over my house and bask in their zen vibes like a little forest fairy. I am going to need a hard copy of this book to keep on hand for stressful days. Or I guess I'm really into mushrooms now? Is it too late to change my career track and professionally study mushrooms? 10/10, I don't care who you are as a person, you need this book in your life. Just trust me.

Mushroom Botanical Art is a stunning, extensive collection of mushroom and fungi illustrations from the 18th and 19th centuries. The paintings are detailed, precise, and gorgeous. I would definitely recommend the print version to fully appreciate the artwork. This would be a great gift or reference for the mushroom enthusiast in your life.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

I loved this entire book. The illustrations are gorgeous and the introductions to each section were beautifully well written and concise. Honestly this is the kind of book you want to have on your shelf just so you can sit and stare at the illustrations whenever you feel the urge to look back on how science progressed to the point it's at today & how differently we collected data on different species then versus now (because, as stated in the books introduction, we now often find new species by means of quantitative data analysis rather than qualitative, thus modern science really lacks the kind of in-depth scientific illustrations that previous eras of science were blessed with).

Review to come October 17/18th to blog/goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I just love botany books, the drawings are often so gorgeous and pretty bringing the plant to life in front of your eyes. So this one definitely had to come with me on my Netgalley shelf.

And this was such an interesting book, it is split up in various chapters each highlighting another artist/naturalist (if you want to call it fancy) and a few of their works. Of course, everything is mushrooms. Big mushrooms, colourful mushrooms, tall mushrooms, mushrooms that just look like ears or a piece of bread. I loved reading about each naturalist and also see what kind of style they had for drawing nature. For example the first one is soft and colourful whereas the second naturalist goes for black/white/brown and, as I would call it, more stiff/stern drawings (sorry, I just don't know a better word for it, so I hope this makes sense). I loved all the different styles and ways to draw or show a mushroom. It was just so interesting and gave me new insights in the mushrooms. Oh, and made me want to go outside with a camera to snap some shots of mushrooms.
I definitely saw some mushrooms I have never seen (either in real life or in books) so that was a delight though I wanted to know where I could find these so I could see them for real. XD

But the blurb specifies that EACH painting show the plant (thus the mushroom) in its natural habitat.. but um, where then? I mean for most we just see one to multiple mushrooms. Sometimes there is a dot of grass or a tree bark seen, but that is it.

I do agree that this would be a great book for any artist who wants to try their hand at botanical drawings. The details in this one are just stunning and you can also see the way they did shadows and showed various bits of the mushrooms.

All in all, if you love mushrooms or botanical art I would recommend this gorgeous book to all.

This gorgeous book is great for anyone who's a fan of mushrooms or beautiful artwork! There is a ton of work compiled from experts and other mushroom enthusiasts, and anyone who has a passion for mycology absolutely needs this book. I can't overstate how stunning this book was. The art was rich in color and lovingly reproduced, and I'm positive it'll be even more beautiful in physical form. A perfect gift or addition to a natural library!

Star Rating: 4 Stars

A big thank you to netgalley, for providing me this ARC of Mushroom Botanical Art by Toshimitsu Fukiharu in exchange for an honest review!

Wow! This compilation of works by various botanists/ mushroom enthusiasts is a truly impressive one, and I look forward to seeing more from this author/publisher in the future! It was so very enjoyable & I feel like I learned much!

This book is perfect for anyone interested in 18th to 19th century European and Japanese naturalist art, mushrooms , nature-buffs, botany enthusiasts & historians, or those who find joy in looking at just plain beautiful art. This book has a certain addictive harmony between science, art, healing, pain, & beauty that is just utter brilliance! Who woudnt want to learn about fungi like this?? Absolutely brilliant!

This is a true work of art & knowledge that looks like it belongs in an ancient library ( which is a totally amazing compliment coming from me) just as much as it belongs in EVERY library! So much fun to read & observe. I truly enjoyed this so very much.

If you love historical art, botany, science, to learn, or all of the above interest you... you're going to want to check this out!

Botanical art seems to be having a real resurgence in popularity recently and it's even better to see books from lesser known authors and artists (rather than Lear and Haekel).
Mushroom and fungi art in particular have become very sought after and this is a perfect addition to any natural or botanic art lover.

The drawings have almost a vintage quality to them and the level of detail in each of the images is perfection.

I honestly had such a good time reading this. It was a book I browsed through on the bus, at the hairdresser's, waiting for my classes to start... It's just gorgeous and the subject matter unique enough to immediately grab your attention, as it is less of a mycology guide and more of an historical examination of the study of mushrooms, with all its imperfections, and mistakes, and flawed - but magical - depictions. In its pages you can also find some great inspiration for painting, if you are like me and like to draw mushrooms in your free time because it's easy, and comforting, and relaxing.

Very resourceful mycological illustrative encyclopedia.

"Mushroom Botanical Art" consists of a large collection of vintage illustrations of mushrooms and relevant information. It would be a helpful source book for botanists, mycologists, and illustrators and artist.

But at the same time, most of the illustrations are now available to access as public domain image sources.

I did not know that there were so many different types of mushrooms. In the store you only see the typical white or brown mushrooms. I never knew there were so many different colors and ones that were different shapes. Some look like they are plucked straight out of a fairy tale and I would love to have them as a bouquet in my yard. A beautiful book with beautiful art.

Enjoyed this book, It wasn't what I expected going into it, it was mainly the pictures of the mushrooms, which were extremely pretty and interesting especially seeing the differences in them. The information given was interesting. I'm glad I read it but it was all very simple and for this reason can't give more than 3 stars.

Mushroom Botanical Art by Toshimitsu Fukiharu is an absolutely amazing collection of mushroom illustrations. The blue mushrooms were out of this world! The red ones were pretty breathtaking too. Must have for mushroom/fungi lovers. #MushroomBotanicalArt #NetGalley

Beautiful illustrations and information about the different types of mushrooms and fungi. So happy that this is finally available in English! I think I will look for the physical version!

Fungi finds are delightful and memorable...the foreword sums up my feelings on fungi precisely. My recollections of thousands of individual sightings are forever etched on my mind, where and what the circumstances were. Mushroom botanical art is beautiful, functional and important. This book includes several gorgeous botanical art collection excerpts mostly from Europe and Japan before the invention of photography, often with longitudinal dissections and anatomical views which are crucial in identification. The illustrations and colours are so incredible the mushrooms are easily identifiable, often as well as (or better!) than photographs.

Botanists, researchers and mycologists including Paulet, Perard, Lucand and Vittadini (his Amanita muscaria details are breathtaking) depict common and uncommon species with such passion, knowledge and attention. Bulliard's descriptions and detail are out of this world! Truly lovely. I am so grateful for those who found detailing mushrooms important for future study.

Each chapter contains fascinating information on the artist and his drawing characteristics as well as history of genus names and other pertinent details. Amanita muscaria and Amanita caesarea, for example, are easily recognizable and observing different depictions is brilliant...though there are slight differences, the anatomy in each is correct and perfect.

My sincere thank you to Media Do International, Inc. and NetGalley for the privilege of studying this incredible book! It is pure joy. If you are even the tiniest bit intrigued by botanical art and/or mushrooms, please do read this. Each page is a visual treat.

Mainly French and Italian with a few Japanese sources of primary scientific mushroom drawings. Either different views of the mushroom, what it looks like inside or how it grows. Great for the visual aspect of a number of mushrooms - edible and toxic.

I have a fondness for botanical art, but mushroom botanical art is my favorite. There's just something so pleasing and adorable about mushrooms- they have an otherworldly look to them, like they've just popped over from Fairyland. This book was such a treat for me! Oodles of beautiful illustrations by European and Japanese naturalists from the 18th and 19th centuries. If you or someone you love is a fan of botanical art, mushrooms, or an artist looking for fabulously detailed illustrations of mushrooms for reference, this book is for you!

#MushroomBotanicalArt #NetGalley

I despise eating mushrooms, but chose this book for it's gorgeous cover. I was not disappointed by the gorgeous botanical paintings within! This book is a reprint of a Japanese volume, and is filled with images from European and Japanese botanists as well as public domain images of fungi. It's pleasing to look at, at any rate, and is a whimsical book to flip through.

Beautiful illustrations in this book. I don't know much about mushrooms so I'm sure some was lost on me but I still enjoyed looking through it. Would make a lovely gift for nature lovers. Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was so beautiful. I was overwhelmed by all of the beautiful illustrations of mushrooms. I learned a lot about all the different kids of mushrooms and I loved every minute of it!

I adore Mushroom Botanical Art by Toshimitsu Fukiharu and the stunning illustrations with the intricate detail long to be studied and it can be read over and over.
With many pictures and information it was a joy to read and worthy of a place on a forever shelf for any fans of mushrooms, nature, botany and art. I long to own a physical copy because the true beauty of this book will be revealed in that format..

A true gem!

This was not at all what I expected. This is a book of reproductions of vintage mushroom art. This was a delightful book to browse and the author's introduction to each section helped me to appreciate it more.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing an eARC.

This book is exactly what you expect of it: cute mushroom botanical art. I took interest in this book because it is illustrated and is also a good reference book to have around. From what I gathered these are all public domain collections from different botanical books over the centuries, they are absolutely stunning however you benefit more having the actually book around for when you need it than reading the PDF the way I did. The descriptions are interesting but very small, this is mostly a coffee table/reference book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to end and review this beautiful book.
Mushroom Botanical Art by Toshimitsu Fukiharu is jam packed with gorgeous illustrations of fungi as well as ample information. It was really wonderful to read and the pictures were a joy to look at.

I honestly just enjoyed the whole ride through this book. It was beautiful. There is something about fungi I find so lovely and simple and this book encompassed it all.

A cozy read with nice artwork. There's many different styles of illustrations with an introduction to each illustrator.

I read this as an ebook, but I think it would be even better in physical from!

This was definitely a little gem of a book, filled with beautiful illustrations of mushrooms. I just wish that all the artwork would have been in color.

Mushroom Botanical Art by Toshimitsu Fukiharu has beautiful illustrations throughout the entire book. I didn't expect myself to like a book with botanical art of mushrooms as much as I did! I definitely recommend this to art lovers, mushroom lovers, or people who are just interested in this book in general.

I loved the art in this book and I need the pictures on my walls ASAP. I am very obsessed with mushrooms and I have my room filled with them. I will be picking up a hardcopy of this book very very soon.

Thank you Netgalley and PIE International for letting read and review this.

4 stars. Beautiful book! A great addition for the coffee table and anyone who is remotely interested in fungi!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for my review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honet review.

I love nature and mushrooms are so interesting to look at, they have some kind of magic. I liked the illustrations and the all details about the mushrooms in this beautiful book, really it was fantastic.

Just beautiful - absolutely lovely to look art and gain inspiration and ideas into botanical art. Some date back to 18th century and this book is a little gem to read

Beautifully illustrated book about one of my loves - mushrooms. Lovely to see mushrooms from across the world and different periods in time. Would make a perfect gift for nature lovers.

For anyone who is a fan of mushrooms, or botanical art of the 1700 and 1800s. All of the artists in this book capture their subjects in careful detail, and the pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations are truly magical to look at. Mushrooms are a unique type of organism, and each artist has their own style. Definitely for fans of those who are into cottagecore, mushrooms, botanical art, or want to practice their own drawing in this style.