fungi the world of mushrooms

Author: Phaidon Editors
Format: Hardcover
Publication date: 13 October 2026
240 pages

Celebrating the remarkable beauty and importance of fungi throughout history, this groundbreaking and fully illustrated survey showcases how the beloved organisms have been depicted in art, culture, botany, and history from around the world across an extensive range of media including, among many others, stone carving, photography, digital animation, botanical illustration, sculpture, and even living installations.

With more than 3 million species estimated worldwide, fungi make up our fifth natural kingdom and are one of the most diverse and mysterious living things on the planet. Mushrooms feature prominently in cultures across time as sources of food, divine inspiration, and natural wonder from ancient Mayan mushroom stones, thought to help achieve spiritual ecstasy, and foraging for truffles to recent discoveries in forest ecology of fungal root networks that allow trees to communicate.

With more than 200 images, this comprehensive and beautifully illustrated book covers all aspects of mushrooms, their characteristics, and uses, and taps into the pop-culture zeitgeist, exploring their psychedelic and medicinal properties, as well as the use of mycelium in sustainable fashion. Expertly curated in collaboration with a panel of global experts and organized to create intriguing visual connections between works from different periods, the book features the work of iconic and lesser-known artists and creators, such as Hilma af Klint, Marc Chagall, Hermes, Utagawa Hiroshige, Yayoi Kusama, Rahul Mishra, Takashi Murakami, Beatrix Potter, Kathleen Ryan, David Shrigley, and Edward Weston, creating a beautiful, compelling survey and an intriguing addition to every library.