Best microbiology books according to redditors
We found 246 Reddit comments discussing the best microbiology books. We ranked the 95 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 246 Reddit comments discussing the best microbiology books. We ranked the 95 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
If you move the decimal over. This is about 1,000 in books...
(If I had to pick a few for 100 bucks: encyclopedia of country living, survival medicine, wilderness medicine, ball preservation, art of fermentation, a few mushroom and foraging books.)
Medical:
Where there is no doctor
Where there is no dentist
Emergency War Surgery
The survival medicine handbook
Auerbach’s Wilderness Medicine
Special Operations Medical Handbook
Food Production
Mini Farming
encyclopedia of country living
square foot gardening
Seed Saving
Storey’s Raising Rabbits
Meat Rabbits
Aquaponics Gardening: Step By Step
Storey’s Chicken Book
Storey Dairy Goat
Storey Meat Goat
Storey Ducks
Storey’s Bees
Beekeepers Bible
bio-integrated farm
soil and water engineering
Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation
Food Preservation and Cooking
Steve Rinella’s Large Game Processing
Steve Rinella’s Small Game
Ball Home Preservation
Charcuterie
Root Cellaring
Art of Natural Cheesemaking
Mastering Artesian Cheese Making
American Farmstead Cheesemaking
Joe Beef: Surviving Apocalypse
Wild Fermentation
Art of Fermentation
Nose to Tail
Artisan Sourdough
Designing Great Beers
The Joy of Home Distilling
Foraging
Southeast Foraging
Boletes
Mushrooms of Carolinas
Mushrooms of Southeastern United States
Mushrooms of the Gulf Coast
Tech
farm and workshop Welding
ultimate guide: plumbing
ultimate guide: wiring
ultimate guide: home repair
off grid solar
Woodworking
Timberframe Construction
Basic Lathework
How to Run A Lathe
Backyard Foundry
Sand Casting
Practical Casting
The Complete Metalsmith
Gears and Cutting Gears
Hardening Tempering and Heat Treatment
Machinery’s Handbook
How to Diagnose and Fix Everything Electronic
Electronics For Inventors
Basic Science
Chemistry
Organic Chem
Understanding Basic Chemistry Through Problem Solving
Ham Radio
AARL Antenna Book
General Class Manual
Tech Class Manual
MISC
Ray Mears Essential Bushcraft
Contact!
Nuclear War Survival Skills
The Knowledge: How to rebuild civilization in the aftermath of a cataclysm
Yeah, Laurie Garrett's 1994 book, The Coming Plague, addresses this from the perspective of Centers for Disease Control and US Army Medical Research Institute for Infectious Disease specialists, and it makes a few things clear:
The most recent Ebola epidemic was hell on earth for people living in crowded urban slums with no sanitation and no clean water. It was a super-rare but serious risk for people in the developed world who came in contact with infected people. It was mostly solved the same way it's always been solved: proper quarantine and at least slightly better hygiene.
Start by picking a guide for your area and reading it thoroughly, especially focusing on the anatomy of a mushroom. Go hunting a lot bringing back what you find, take spore prints and work though the IDs. Also joining a NAMA affiliated club will help tremendously.
Regional guides
Alaska
Common Interior Alaska Cryptogams
Western US
All The Rain Promises and More
Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest
Midwestern US
Mushrooms of the Midwest
Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States
Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest
Southern US
Texas Mushrooms: A Field Guide
Mushrooms of the Southeastern United States
Midwestern US
Mushrooms of the Midwest
Edible Wild Mushrooms of Illinois and Surrounding States
Mushrooms of the Upper Midwest
Eastern US
Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians
Mushrooms of Northeast North America (This was out of print for awhile but it's they're supposed to be reprinting so the price will be normal again)
Mushrooms of Northeastern North America
Macrofungi Associated with Oaks of Eastern North America(Macrofungi Associated with Oaks of Eastern North America)
Mushrooms of Cape Cod and the National Seashore
More specific guides
Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World
North American Boletes
Tricholomas of North America
Milk Mushrooms of North America
Waxcap Mushrooms of North America
Ascomycete of North America
Ascomycete in colour
Fungi of Switzerland: Vol. 1 Ascomycetes
PDFs
For Pholiotas
For Chlorophyllum
For parasitic fungi, Hypomyces etc "Mushrooms that Grow on other Mushrooms" by John Plischke. There's a free link to it somewhere but I cant find it.
Websites that aren't in the sidebar
For Amanita
For coprinoids
For Ascos
MycoQuebec: they have a kickass app but it's In French
Messiah college this has a lot of weird species for polypores and other things
Books that provide more info than field Mycology
The Kingdom of Fungi Excellent coffee table book has nice pictures and a breif guide to Fungal taxonomy and biology.
The Fifth Kingdom A bit more in depth
Introduction toFungi Textbook outlining metobolic, taxonomic and ecological roles of fungi. Need some level of biochemistry to have a grasp for this one but it's a good book to have.
This is actually used at a bunch of US med schools as a supplemental text or for studying for medical boards. The cartoons are mnemonics: the illustrations are outrageous enought to help you remember key facts about specific microbes.
http://www.amazon.com/Clinical-Microbiology-Made-Ridiculously-Simple/dp/1935660039
I'm not a doctor but a medical writer who has been obsessed with medicine since I was a kid. Hmm, let me throw out some stuff...
YouTube is a treasure trove. Hank Green's SciShow is an excellent place to start. He's the nerdy, passionate science teacher we all deserve to have.
ZDoggMd makes video parodies that are also suitable for kids. He rewords pop songs with a medical education message.
Medicalstudent.com is a collection of free medical textbooks. Still one of the best-curated lists and non-commercial.
Textbooks can't be beat for learning the fundamentals. Most texts aren't appropriate for children, but the "Made Ridiculously Simple" series is an exception. These books are for med students and it break key concepts down with cartoony illustrations. Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple is the best, IMO.
Netter's anatomy flashcards are awesome. They aren't cheap, but I bet your daughter would love them.
This should satisfy your daughter for a week or two. ;)
Paul Stamets, the mycologist, offers this one.
The kingdom fungi coffee table book it has general taxonomy of the kingdom but also very nice pictures.
The Fifth Kingdom beginner book covering fungal taxonomy Oomycota, Zygomycota and Eumycota. It also has ecology and fungi as food. More advanced than the book above.
Fungal Biology. A much broader but more complex view on fungal ecology than the book above. Fungal Biology provides a less esoteric than the book below, which delves more into the individual biology of the specific fungal taxa.
Introduction to Fungi. 300 Level textbook, lots of plant pathology and orgo, taxa are out of date but its a bio book not a taxonomic one.
Introductory Mycology 4th Ed.
It really depends.
Primary care docs like myself don't use much actual true biology, physiology, chemistry, physics, organic chemistry, pharmacology on a day-to-day basis. Like most jobs, as you get more experienced, your knowledge also gets more focused on aspects you need to learn and use repeatedly and you forget most of the inane and trivial things that you may have learned.
Although I might have seen a case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever today, that I've never seen before. But I was thinking the last time I really thought about Rickettsial disease was while reading [this] (https://www.amazon.ca/Clinical-Microbiology-Made-Ridiculously-Simple/dp/1935660152) study guide in undergrad. I was actually picturing the drawing from that guide today about the RMSF guy with the mustache and spots all over.
ASPPH | Summer of Public Health: Reading Recommendations
Not on the list:
The Blue Death
Mountains Beyond Mountains
Parasite Rex
The Coming Plague
Spitting Blood
A good introductory text on the statistical mechanics of biopolymers (including a number of models of DNA) is Ken Dill's Molecular Driving Forces. Much of it is undergraduate level, and it will necessarily include simple models that are primarily pedagogical, but they are nonetheless incredibly useful tools for connecting to the literature in a deeper way. For example, two state models can deliver some surprising results despite how simple they are -- such models show up in the literature in the form of elastic network models (ENMs), where two well-defined configurations are used to construct harmonic approximations to the state space. These can then be used to model transitions between states across the potential surface. ENMs aren't as relevant to DNA, as far as I know (I work on a membrane transporter at the moment), but is representative of the simpler tools used in the field.
Additionally, Rob Phillips has some very useful texts (that emphasize an intuition of the length- and time-scales involved): Physical Biology of the Cell and Cell Biology by the Numbers.
Hope that helps!
Dill and Bromberg's Molecular Driving Forces is a good intro book that basically builds up from rudimentary math/chem/physics to a basic understanding of rates, diffusion and random walk processes, folding mechanisms, and stat mech. This would be very helpful for you, as Dill is known for his work on energy landscapes of protein folding and conformation.
Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life by Carl Zimmer. E. coli has played a huge role in how we understand life at the molecular level. This book is written for beginners and non-scientists so its pretty palatable for people not in the field.
http://www.amazon.com/Microcosm-Coli-New-Science-Life/dp/0307276864
how does this pair up to Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World: An Identification Guide
Stamets, Paul ?
​
better/ worse?
Yeah, tons.
Here's a good math & biochemistry book.
http://www.amazon.ca/Molecular-Driving-Forces-Statistical-Thermodynamics/dp/0815320515
I bought it off of Amazon:) Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World: An Identification Guide https://www.amazon.com/dp/0898158397/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_hZYFAbAMTCCKC
Theres a book https://www.amazon.com/Psilocybin-Mushrooms-World-Identification-Guide/dp/0898158397
Do more than just 'a bit'. If you are serious, make a serious effort. Nobody 'plans' on getting anyone killed, but it happens.
Paul Stamets has an excellent book on active mushroom identification if that's your interest:
https://www.amazon.com/Psilocybin-Mushrooms-World-Identification-Guide/dp/0898158397
But you will also want to become familiar with other types, as you don't want to risk confusing one type for another.
Well considering that taking 2.5g dry (or ~30g fresh) completely prevents migraines and cluster headaches for six weeks at a time (some people experience up to six months' relief but I assume they're taking a full dose - I've only ever consumed enough to trip once), I don't really need to worry about it. Even eating food with lots of soy protein (that's most processed foods) doesn't trigger the headaches for me. (I'm soy intolerant and soy protein is my worst migraine trigger)
And yes, everything people claim about cluster headaches is true. When I get them the last for up to 12 hours (often accompanied by projectile vomiting, and wishing and praying for death because the pain really is that bad), then I usually get 2-3 rebound headaches hours later and each lasts equally long. The only thing that gets me through them is knowing the headache will eventually end.
It's better losing ~5 hours every month to month and a half high on shrooms than 1-3 days a week to these headaches.
What do I do during winter? Cannabis tincture or vaping (which doesn't cure the headaches but makes them tolerable), or if friends have any, I take dried shrooms. They're nasty dried (fresh out in the woods they're kind of like a "gamey" shitake mushroom) so I follow it up with an orange soda chaser. :)
I'm going to eventually relocate to the PNW for easy access to shrooms as azurecens is ubiquitous there, and there is over a dozen other psilocybe species which grow throughout the area. Here we have only six species, they're not terribly common, and they're oyster/shelf-shaped varieties which look very similar to poisonous species so you need to take it very slow, making a spore print and bruise them and inspect them for a membrane before consumption (the first two characteristics is nearly 100% guarantee it's a psilocybe species and therefore edible, the latter you should still check for insurance because there may be a non-psilocybe, toxic species which drops purple-brown spores and bruises blue which hasn't been identified yet). When I move to the PNW I will probably collect a bunch and will have rhododendron or other laurel species shrubbery with a dress bark apron to encourage azurecens grow in my yard since they are a wood-loving species and are symbiotic with laurel-family trees.
I bring one of Paul Stamets' field guides with me ( http://www.amazon.com/Psilocybin-Mushrooms-World-Identification-Guide/dp/0898158397/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1464358847&sr=8-5&keywords=paul+stamets ) when I go foraging for visual identification then I do the additional tests to verify. :)
I wish I had known about this property of these fungi sooner - I've lost months of my life bedridden with these agonizing headaches and could have cured them just going out for a walk in the woods. I believed the propaganda about these wonderful species, and believed the lies about cannabis. The government did a huge disservice to The People by pandering to logging and pharmaceutical lobbyists. The stoners were right all along. :-(
The two you've listed are my personal favorites. I also make use of National Audobon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms, 100 Edible Mushrooms, North American Mushrooms: A Field guide to Edible and Inedible Fungi (not my favorite, but a useful cross reference at times), and Mushrooms and Other Fungi of North America (this one has fantastic photos. While it is never recommended to ID by appearance alone, the cross cuts and underside photos in this book can be very useful). If you live in the southern east coast then I'd recommend Mushrooms of the Southeastern United States if you can find it affordably (as far as I know it is out of print and even used coppies are pretty expensive, but it is a fantastic book for southeastern mushrooms).
As far as websites I am a pretty frequent visitor of MushroomExpert.com. It offers some good keys and there are a lot of mushrooms listed.
Personally? I want this. I don't know why I haven't bought it for myself yet...
What kind of books do you like? Something with a narrative or something that's more like a text book? Something that fits in between is a short read called " Microcosm: E.coli and the New Science of Life
My favorite book is "The Hot Zone" though. It's more of a page-turner, but some information in it is dramatized and it's more about the story than the organism. It depends what you're looking for. Another good book is "Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic" It's a bit of a slower read, but it's a good read that focuses more on diseases while having good stories
I know it's about viruses. But it's an interesting read none the less.
Written by those who experienced the facts for themselves.
Level 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC
It follows the emergence of Ebola and other haemorrhagic viruses.
Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World by Paul Stamets.
I cannot recommend this enough. All identification features are explained in length, and there are pictures of many, many different psilocybes all over the world. It is not exactly about homegrowing, but a fantastic resource for learning about the amazing genus Psilocybe, and our friends psilocybin, psilocin, and baeocystin. It's a little technical, but it will give you the background to understand many issues faced by growers.
Honestly, the field changes so fast that it'd be hard to have a "comprehensive" text book stay relevant. Most of the time we're reading and discussing academic papers from the past ~5 years, occasionally referencing significant results from further back.
http://www.amazon.com/Population-Genetics-A-Concise-Guide/dp/0801880092 is a good book to start with though to build up a good foundational understanding of how people are thinking about and studying evolution (or at least the people I'm working with), assuming you already have some basic familiarity with population genetic principles.
edit: When starting grad school several years ago, this is the textbook we used for the molecular biology courses we had to take. The degree program I'm in is Computational and Molecular Biology (where students are either in Comp or Mol bio, but there's some overlap in the first semester. I'm in Comp, so most of my coursework is in math/cs/stats), so I can't say what graduate level Evolutionary Biology courses require.
Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World: An Identification Guide https://www.amazon.com/dp/0898158397/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_D3z2Cb5XHQ78W
By far the best, hands down:
https://www.amazon.com/Psilocybin-Mushrooms-World-Identification-Guide/dp/0898158397
There's a bit of a learning curve to learn the lingo, and you may need a microscope to differentiate certain species in your area, but it will get you closer than most other resources.
I thought Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple was a good read. (http://www.amazon.com/Clinical-Microbiology-Made-Ridiculously-Simple/dp/1935660152/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418962425&sr=8-1&keywords=microbiology+made+ridiculously+simple)
Lippincott's Microcards, you can find them on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Lippincotts-Microcards-Microbiology-Harpavat-Edition/dp/145111219X/ref=dp_ob_title_bk.
Available on Amazon. The ereader versions pay the content creators nearly nothing so I suggest getting the physical book as the author gets the best royalty this way. Need the wonderful kind intelligent fungi evangelist Paul Stamets to get his. For this book there are two paperback types as the only formats.
https://www.amazon.com/Psilocybin-Mushrooms-World-Identification-Guide/dp/0898158397?SubscriptionId=AKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=0898158397
That exists!
https://www.amazon.com/Immunology-Ridiculously-Simple-Massoud-Mahmoudi/dp/0940780895/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521044990&sr=8-1&keywords=immunology+made+simple
Also, I've been compiling an immunology deck. Obviously, don't wait around for it, but I'm hoping to finish it up in the next month, exam schedule permitting. It's mostly done, I just need to remove the notes to myself and racist rants before making it public.
THE standard textbook for Immunology is Janeway, it's what we used in grad school (neuropharm PhD) but it's waaaaaaay more detailed that what any medical student would need to know. Its well written and I guarantee you'll recommend the figures in the text from your plagiarizing professors!
https://www.amazon.com/Janeways-Immunobiology-Kenneth-Murphy/dp/0815345054/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1521045088&sr=1-1&keywords=immunology+janeway
https://www.amazon.com/Psilocybin-Mushrooms-World-Identification-Guide/dp/0898158397
People will forage for as long as mushrooms continue to grow in the wild. You could probably order them too through the dark net, but I’d be more inclined to order 4-aco-DMT personally. You can also grow them yourself at home. For the record I live in Oakland and have no clue where to buy mushrooms so I wouldn’t suggest coming here for that purpose.
I'm a bacteria guy, so I'll recommend a book of microbiology essays:
http://www.amazon.ca/Microbes-Evolution-World-Darwin-Never/dp/1555815405
There's lots of cool stuff going on with the organisms that we can't see!
Level 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC by Joseph McCormick and Susan Fisher-Hoch is a good read - definitely non-fiction. They were there for the first Ebola outbreaks in the 70's and the Hanta outbreaks in NM later on.
McCormick is a great guy. I tracked him down and emailed him when I was an undergrad, and I asked him how I could get in to the field. He responded back with an incredibly detailed email and couldn't have been nicer.
Molecular biology of the cell (http://www.amazon.com/Molecular-Biology-Cell-Bruce-Alberts/dp/0815341059/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367877862&sr=8-1&keywords=molecular+biology+of+the+cell) and molecular biology of the gene (http://www.amazon.com/Molecular-Biology-Gene-James-Watson/dp/080539592X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367877885&sr=1-1&keywords=molecular+biology+of+the+gene) are two excellent resources for understanding genetics. If reading is what you're looking to do, begin with peer reviewed journals; textbooks become outdated quickly, but peer-reviewed journals give you a glimpse into the ideas which allowed us to better understand biological phenomena.
The best way to understand genetics is to become actively involved in such matters. Attend seminars with speakers working in cell or molecular biology fields. Get involved in research (this is by far the best thing you can do to improve your understanding of genetics).
Good luck!
I found the Lippincott microcards really useful for getting a sense of organization and key points, and also as a general review/learning tool. They also include clinical scenarios which help hone in on some of the ways patients can present (our exams were heavily clinical case based). I also highly recommend micro made ridiculously simple, as was mentioned.
Here's a link here
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0898158397/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519918587&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=psilocybin+mushrooms+of+the+world&dpPl=1&dpID=51YNNfdC6bL&ref=plSrch The Amazon link.
Or you might be able to get it at the libary. I’ve seen it here in WA. That might differ from state to state.
https://www.amazon.com/Psilocybin-Mushrooms-World-Identification-Guide/dp/0898158397
Thank me later. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0898158397/ref=redir_mdp_mobile
https://www.amazon.com/Psilocybin-Mushrooms-World-Identification-Guide/dp/0898158397/ref=asc_df_0898158397/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=312090128349&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12340258693395792528&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9008532&hvtargid=pla-331923859582&psc=1
Randomly enough, I just asked Dr. Joe McCormick (http://www.amazon.com/Level-4-Virus-Hunters-CDC/dp/0760712085) about this a few hours ago in a lecture.
He was there for the first Ebola outbreak and seems to be somewhat of an international expert on these "hot" viruses. He said that this outbreak is unique in that it has moved into large cities, but didn't seem to be overly concerned about the threat of pandemic or spread beyond the region. It's really only spread by close contact with infectious patients, so it's fairly hard to catch from others.
Microcosm is an awesome book for this: http://www.amazon.com/Microcosm-Coli-Science-Vintage/dp/0307276864
Though large for a field guide, I really like "Mushrooms of Northeastern North America"
"Basic Immunology" by Abbas is the review book I use to bone up on basic (more basic than entry level) information on the immune system if you want to specifically learn about that. I also second Robbins, I literally live by Robbins.
amazon link
I have a book, Psilocybin Mushrooms of The World, and in it there's a pic of this woman with a wide brimmed hat that has spore prints all around it. She walks around town spreading billions of spores without a care in the world. I love that kind of initiative.
EDIT: Found it!
literally the cover of Alan Bessette's Mushrooms of Northeastern North America
I agree with Hygrocybe sp.
First find out if they grow where you live. Then start by "acquiring" books such as this one:
https://www.amazon.com/Psilocybin-Mushrooms-World-Identification-Guide/dp/0898158397
Hi! I would very strongly recommend the book Spillover, written by perhaps our most eminent science writer, which is all about zoonotic diseases (those which spill over from other non-human species). It goes into great detail about Ebola specifically and answers many of your questions, though they're a bit long to type out here. http://www.amazon.com/Spillover-Animal-Infections-Human-Pandemic/dp/1480564443
This
Some suggestions are below. They aren't "field guides" but are still some good choices. I admit I haven't finished March of the Microbes or Missing Microbes but Microbes and Evolution is a fantastic collection of essays.
March of the Microbes
Microbes and Evolution: The World Darwin Never Saw
Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics is Fueling Our Modern Plagues
Ken Dill has the easiest to follow stat mech book I have encountered. McQuarrie has lots of good problems to work through. David Chandler is the shortest, and simultaneously most brilliant and difficult work on the subject I have read. His brief review of thermodynamics in the first couple chapters is fantastic if you only have a day or two to get back on the horse.
I’m not saying you don’t have a point... And, If you already feel like psychiatrists are dumbing things down and treating you like a baby, Stahl’s books aren’t going to help.
All I’m saying is that this style is a mnemonic device and books like this, that are intentionally simple/cartoonish and humorous are a meme in medical education. See: https://www.amazon.com/Clinical-Microbiology-Made-Ridiculously-Simple/dp/1935660152
The publisher is one of "those kind" that publish a new version every year. This seems to the most recent one, but the changes are so minor you'll probably do fine with the cheaper, previous edition instead.
EDIT: I linked to Amazon because I don't know any other international well-known book supplier. The prices on Amazon for that book are BRUTAL though. I got it for 50 euro myself elsewhere.
Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Sijmple: http://www.amazon.com/Clinical-Microbiology-Made-Ridiculously-Simple/dp/1935660152
This was uniformly loved by all of my classmates and myself. The author of a lot of the passages has a great sense of humor.
Start here
And DEFINITELY buy other identification guides to cross-reference. Forest-hunting isn't particularly lucrative for psychedelics. Be very careful and deliberate with anything you find, because there are quite a few species (in the fields and forests) that are similar to psilocybin species, but dangerous.
Loosing genetic information is often just another way of saying that a species became more efficient.
This can be seen throughout nature. In Viruses particularly its interesting, a smaller and more efficient genome can help alot in efficiency. Loosing a gene that codes for a certain protein can make the virus overcome an Immune-defense of the host and thus be able to infect the cell.
Mass and quantity is not class.
Evolution is considerably more then just hoarding more genes. If you are interested in evolution i highly recommend this book
"Microbes and Evolution: The world that Darwin never saw"
Its a great book that explains some very complex things in very easy to understand terms.
Awesome book but try Level 4: Virus Hunters of the CDC, it's way better.
https://www.amazon.com/Prescotts-Microbiology-Joanne-Willey/dp/1259281590/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9MPEBWX0K41PTBE0NPEV
If by ‘good kind’ you mean psilocybin containing, you are dangerously far off. Buy and cherish Paul Stamet’s Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World(https://www.amazon.com/Psilocybin-Mushrooms-World-Identification-Guide/dp/0898158397) if you want to know what to look for.
If by ‘good kind’ you mean edible, then you should read the sticky on how to properly request an ID as you are missing key features used in identification of your mushroom.
Based on the initial picture I would say very likely a no to both possibilities of a good kind.
I used to do the Shroomery quite a bit... grew up some. Not to disparage, but some of them damn kids! Ugh.
Too northern? I'm not sure about that. Season's coming up for winter stuff in northern climates...
Are you asking for a "shroom" guide, or a mushroom guide?
This for the former.
This and this for the latter.
Can you tell me where you are, generally, so that i can help?
Though they are the reservoir host for Hendra, flying foxes do not spread it directly to humans. An amplifier host (in the case of Hendra, horses) is required for the virus to spread to humans.
David Quammen talks at length about the transmission of viruses from animals to humans in his book Spillover. It's an interesting read (albeit maybe a little frightening) and the language used is understandable for even those with little to no scientific background.
I've posted this elsewhere but here ya go...
> Avoid the Audubon guide. The Audubon guide is pretty terribad (bad photos, pithy descriptions, not user-friendly.)
> There are much better nationwide guides out there (like the Falcon Guide), but quite honestly you're better off with a regional guide.
> My recs for regional field guides:
> Alaska
> - Common Interior Alaska Cryptogams
> Western US
> - All The Rain Promises and More
>Midwestern US
>
>Southern US
>
>
Eastern US
>
> As an aside, books like Mushrooms Demystified, Lichens of North America, Mushrooms of Northeastern North America, and Mushrooms of the Southeastern United States are too large and cumbersome to take out in the field, but are all excellent references to have at home for ID after a foray.
This one
For general ID there are three books I recommend for your area (linked below). I’ve used each of them and have many friends in the Mycology community that vouch for them. As what OP is saying, you will be limited no matter which book you get. There are thousands upon thousands of mushroom species and you’ll never get all of them. The way he pooh-poohed on books though is silly. LOL.
As far as psychoactive Mushrooms, you will definitely have better luck on the Internet. The one species I recommend you start out with psilocybe Ovoideosystidiata. It is probably the most common one in Virginia and you will have the best luck identifying it. I have been researching that one for quite a while and I can give you very specific indicators for location habitat and season dates. I’ll PM you those deets. Wouldn’t want them getting into the wrong hands 🙄.
Also I have much more active and recent threads for you to read up on for ovoids. The current ovoid season 2018 thread is very active. Actualy you will see me drop some bomber photos this evening. One of the first posts of non-cultivated specimen for fall 2018. Found some gymnopolus luteus also but it wasn’t much and far past prime. Problem with the other species the OP mentioned to look for is they are either not common or no potent or both. For gyms, you need to ingest a lot! Some people really like them and I recommend trying them once you find them, but unlike gyms, all you have to do with ovoids is find 2-5 caps and your already at an effective dose. We can discuss dosage in pm.
With caerulepes the issue is they usualy only fruit in fall and in smaller numbers than ovoids. Again, if you find them, try them. But don’t be bummed if you don’t find them first few seasons. I can give you a spot of two for ovoids I’m spring. It will be a sure fire harvest!
TLDR:
Get at least one book and learn the identification key. Look up ovoids.
Links-
Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians https://www.amazon.com/dp/0813190398/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_G5k4BbEB9FWRD
Mushrooms of the Southeast (A Timber Press Field Guide) https://www.amazon.com/dp/160469730X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_oCl4Bb9E1RQT7
Amazon only has hard covered for this one. That price is ridiculous. Search on eBay and you’ll find one for 20 or less and soft cover.
Mushrooms of the Southeastern United States https://www.amazon.com/dp/081563112X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_KDl4BbFTCT9D6
And here’s the most current actives thread for your area.
https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/25036526
Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World: An Identification Guide https://www.amazon.com/dp/0898158397/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_D3z2Cb5XHQ78W
Geared more for medical students, but this was actually an enjoyable read: http://www.amazon.com/Clinical-Microbiology-Made-Ridiculously-Simple/dp/1935660039
The world is your source
Couldn't remember why I knew that name, but then I remembered he did some work with Psilocybin.
https://www.amazon.com/Psilocybe-Mushrooms-Their-Allies-Stamets/dp/0930180038
https://www.amazon.com/Psilocybin-Mushrooms-World-Identification-Guide/dp/0898158397
http://www.amazon.com/Molecular-Driving-Forces-Statistical-Thermodynamics/dp/0815320515
this book was great when I took statistical thermodynamics which deals with everything you discussed.
Well, yes, but certain mushrooms grow in certain areas. Not sure how many woodloving mushrooms ya'll got over there in your Louisiana woods, as they're all over the Pacific North West. Could be.
I'd read up on Psilocybe mushrooms, and recommend Paul Stamets' book Psilocybin Mushrooms of the World. The important thing is not knowing about the blue bruising Psilocybes, but rather the blue bruising lookalikes which are toxic.
Much appreciated!
I actually plan to study medicine myself, and I've seen the flashcard flow chart. From your post, I take it you recommend beginning with zanki, and thus relying on Pathoma and Sketchy?
It'll be a few years until I'll start studying, but I've been thinking about—as a primer—doing Incremental Reading on these first.
Dunno what you think about that?
I'm currently chewing my way through Microbes and Evolution: The World That Darwin Never Saw. It's a series of essays on microbial evolution.
https://www.scribd.com/doc/114800796/Psilocybin-Mushrooms-of-North-America
https://www.amazon.com/Psilocybin-Mushrooms-World-Identification-Guide/dp/0898158397
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbz8EvhqeMxul_huFTjigKQq8DmIUHhpJ
the first two links will give you more of a general overview of identification techniques and psychoactive mushrooms at large . the youtube playlist at the bottom depicts videos of the species that occur in massachusetts. the more research you do, the more confident you will be. especially considering this is your first hunt, make sure to clarify with experienced hunters reports online. please be extra careful my friend, and if you can’t find any locally i’m sure you can find other ways of obtaining the magic. cheers!
Let me recommend An Introduction to Systems Biology: Design Principles of Biological Circuits by Uri Alon. This book is extremely well-written and approaches cellular systems from the perspective of an engineer or physicist. It will help to orient you to the "big picture" of how cells work without swamping you in molecular details. Systems biology is a hot, emerging field at the intersection of molecular biology, biophysics, and computational biology. Feel free to PM me if you're interested in the field and want a few suggestions about which are the top labs.
I would recommend getting more information about the molecular details elsewhere. I haven't read Alberts, but it seems like a classic text (I often see it on bookshelves). I read Watson's Molecular Biology of the Gene, and thought it was quite good.
For a biochemical perspective, I recommend Stryer's Biochemistry, which covers many common biological molecules. It is a very readable classic and serves as a good reference text. It should give you an idea of how the molecular machines operate on a chemical level.
You can probably find these in your school's library.
Edit: Just realized this post is 3 months old (hah). Hope this helps nevertheless.
"Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple"
was very helpful through my MLS program, the ASCP generalist exam, and still as a reference at the bench. Here's an Amazon link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1935660152/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_todeBbCRTCF6J
MMRS for Microbio (and flashcards/make your own quizlet to drill it in).
We used this book for Immuno and I thought it was great
There appear to be copies on Amazon.
Hey, you. Yeah, you reading this. Don't think these LBM's (Little Brown Mushrooms) that look an awful lot like the ones growing in your yard are safe. Never, ever, EVER pick and eat mushrooms you find unless you have extensive knowledge of mycology. LBM's are notorious for being difficult to identify, as they have no real phenotypic traits (fancy way of saying that there are few visual cues as to what they are and if they're safe or not).
LBM's usually require spore prints to identify the species, and even then you need a keen eye and lots of experience to use those to identify the mushroom. There are plenty of books to help, but remember that microscopic features can be the difference between a trip and a trip to the hospital.
Want to know more?