author

David Badham

1806–1857

Best known for writing warmly and knowledgeably about food from the natural world, he brought together medicine, natural history, and lively literary curiosity. His books on edible mushrooms and fish won readers by making specialist subjects feel inviting and practical.

1 Audiobook

A treatise on the esculent funguses of England containing an account of their classical history, uses, characters, development, structure, nutritious properties, modes of cooking and preserving, etc.

A treatise on the esculent funguses of England containing an account of their classical history, uses, characters, development, structure, nutritious properties, modes of cooking and preserving, etc.

by David Badham

About the author

An English writer, physician, entomologist, and mycologist, Charles David Badham lived from 1805/1806 to 1857. Sources differ slightly on his birth year, but they agree that he worked across medicine and natural history, building a reputation as a learned but engaging author.

He is especially remembered for A Treatise on the Esculent Funguses of England and Prose Halieutics; or, Ancient and Modern Fish Tattle. Those works show his gift for turning close observation and wide reading into books that are informative, conversational, and full of enthusiasm for the everyday pleasures of the table.

Badham was educated at Westminster School and at Cambridge before later becoming a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. Even when writing about specialized subjects, he had a knack for making them approachable, which helps explain why his work still attracts curious readers today.