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The Secret Life of Fungi

Discoveries From a Hidden World
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( 1,266 ratings, 236 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Secret Life of Fungi by Aliya Whiteley explores the fascinating and varied world of fungi, highlighting their expansive roles in ecosystems and interactions with humans. Through personal anecdotes and scientific insights, the book delves into the biological functions and surprising capabilities of fungi, revealing how these often-overlooked organisms impact our everyday lives in unseen ways. Perfect for nature enthusiasts, it offers a thought-provoking look at the interconnectedness of life.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you're fascinated by the hidden world of nature and the complex systems that operate within our ecosystems. It's a journey into understanding how fungi play a crucial role in the environment, often in unexpected ways, and how they connect to both the natural world and human society. If you have an interest in biodiversity and the intricate ways life on Earth interrelates, you'll likely find this exploration both enlightening and enjoyable.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

This autumn, take a journey into the surreal and hidden world of one of our planet's most extraordinary, and little understood, lifeforms: fungi. Beautifully illustrated gift for any nature lover.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Fungi can appear anywhere, from desert dunes to frozen tundra, and create anew from rotting matter. They can invade bodies and thoughts; they can live between our toes or between our floorboards. They are unwelcome intruders or vastly expensive treats; they are symbols of both death and eternal life. But despite their familiar presence, there’s still much we don’t know about these secretive life forms.

In this illuminating book, Aliya Whiteley delves into everything from cellular makeup to the fascinating ways fungi interact with their surroundings and other species, as well as the many varied roles they’ve played in our own civilisation. The vast potential of these understudied organisms is still untapped; though long used as a source of food and medicine, they could also hold the key to a variety of scientific advances, from agriculture to environmental innovations.

The Secret Life of Fungi is a glimpse into their incredible, surprising and dark world: a lyrical tour through the eruption, growth and decay under our feet, overhead, and even inside us.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Secret Life of Fungi by Aliya Whiteley explores the fascinating and often overlooked world of fungi, offering insight into their unique characteristics and their impact on human life and the environment. The book is praised for its adventurous exploration into the mysterious Third Kingdom, shedding light on the intricate relationships between fungi and the natural world.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781783965304

Publisher: Elliott & Thompson Limited

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 22 October 2020

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Elliott & Thompson Limited

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 160

About the Author

Aliya Whiteley grew up in North Devon and developed an early passion for walking and observing nature. Today she writes about the natural world for Mental Floss and in her fiction, which has been shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke award, among others. Whiteley’s novella, The Beauty, depicted a future world in which a fungus interacts with humanity and creates a new form of life, leading readers all over the world to send her photographs and articles relating to mushrooms. Her new novel, Greensmith (May 2020), deals with seed banks and viruses, and the current global threat to diversity. She was formerly the Deputy Editor of Explore – a magazine that tackles one subject in depth per issue, such as dinosaurs, the solar system or indeed plant-life. She walks through the woods and fields around her home in West Sussex every day, taking inspiration from the hidden worlds around her.

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