Dr. Melba Goolde's Authoritative Encyclopedia of Fungi
The authoritative guide to edible mushroom hunting and culinary applications.
Document Structure
Clauses
The book is organized by region, with recipes arranged by specific settlement. Each entry details the structure and color of each fungus along with a sketch of the fungus itself. Included is information about seasonal availability, lookalikes, and common locations (tree trunks, rotten logs, under leaf litter, etc.) along with cautions, regional medicinal and other uses.
Publication Status
Originally published in the library at the University of Bonna, additional copies were quickly distributed to the Library of Bonna and the Library of Actum, along with any other college or university with a naturalism department.
Initially it saw primarily an academic audience, though abridged versions containing only the names of the edible varieties along with the associated recipes (and guides to local mushroom hunting of course) became popular among the halflings of Cymru and Vannin.
Printers eventually picked up on the utility of the manual for adventurers, and publish both the volume in its entirety, as well as abridged regional guidebooks that have most of the academic jargon stripped out.
Historical Details
Legacy
While the original intention was to further academic understanding of edible mushrooms and their role in local cuisines, the book has become rather more influential in the areas of poison and hallucinogen development. It has, however, had some more beneficial uses. The handbooks are popular amongst foragers even in small communities, and has assisted the discovery of numerous medicines. Guides are available in most general stores, and a complete tome is a fixture in every apothecary's shop (if you don't see one on a shelf behind the counter, turn around and walk right back out.)
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