author
Charles McIlvaine
1840–1909
A Civil War veteran turned mushroom expert, he became one of the best-known early American writers on edible and poisonous fungi. His work mixed practical field knowledge with a real sense of adventure, helping curious readers approach wild mushrooms with both excitement and caution.
1 Audiobook
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.
by Charles McIlvaine, Robert K. Macadam
About the author
After serving in the Union Army during the American Civil War and later working in Pennsylvania's railroad world, he turned to writing and the study of fungi. He is best remembered as an American author and mycologist whose interests grew from firsthand outdoor experience rather than from a strictly academic career.
McIlvaine became especially known for his bold, practical approach to mushroom hunting and identification. His best-known book, One Thousand American Fungi: Toadstools, Mushrooms, Fungi, Edible and Poisonous, brought together identification advice, botanical description, and guidance for selecting edible species while avoiding dangerous ones.
That combination of curiosity, field testing, and plainspoken instruction helped make him a memorable figure in early American mycology. For readers today, his work offers both a window into the history of natural science and the enduring fascination of learning what grows in the woods.