Divine Mushrooms and Fungi - Paperback

by John W. Allen (Photographer)

Filled with beautiful color photographs, Divine Mushrooms and Fungi is a must-have for anyone who wants to step into the magic mushroom field of ethnomycology. With detailed information on how to distinguish magic mushrooms from potentially dangerous lookalikes, this guide also features a detailed history of the ritual use of magic mushrooms among pre-Columbian inhabitants of the New World and the evolution of the use of psychedelic fungi from sacred rituals to today's recreational use. Common epithets used for naming mushrooms around the world are accompanied by photographs and descriptions of both magic mushrooms and their poisonous lookalikes. An ideal companion for mushroom-gathering forays, Divine Mushrooms and Fungi provides readers with the sacred knowledge that can lead to a visionary experience.

Author Biography

John W. Allen is an amateur ethnomycologist living in North America and author of ten books, including the oldest selling identification guide on entheogenic mushroom identification, and more than two dozen articles on the subject of visionary mushrooms. Allen is the editor and author of the series Ethnomycological Journals Sacred Mushroom Studies. He has photographed mushrooms in America, Hawaii, Southeast Asia, Great Britain and Europe.

Allen discovered a new entheogenic mushroom species from Thailand, named Psilocybe samuiensis Guzmán, Bandala and Allen. He has lectured at conferences and symposia, given many slide-show presentations on the history and identification of entheogenic mushrooms and mushroom art throughout the ages at universities worldwide. In 2013 the mushroom, Psilocybe allenii Borovicka, was named after John Allen. He lives in Santa Cruz, CA.