The Secret Life of Fungi

Fungi are not like us - they are entirely, magically, something else.

'A lyrical, fascinating exploration of this weird organism' Scottish Field

'A memoir oozing with wonder' Waterstones.com

Welcome to the astonishing secret world of fungi

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Fungi can appear anywhere, from desert dunes to frozen tundra. They can invade our bodies and thoughts; live between our toes or our floorboards; they are unwelcome intruders or vastly expensive treats; symbols of both death and eternal life. But despite their familiar presence, there's still much to learn about the eruption, growth and decay of their interconnected world.

Aliya Whiteley has always been in love with fungi - from a childhood taking blurry photographs of strange fungal eruptions on Exmoor to a career as a writer inspired by their surreal and alien beauty. This love for fungi is a love for life, from single-cell spores to the largest living organism on the planet; a story stretching from Aliya's lawn into orbit and back again via every continent.

From fields, feasts and fairy rings to death caps, puffballs and ambrosia beetles, this is an intoxicating journey into the life of extraordinary organism, one that we have barely begun to understand.

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'A short charming guide to all things shroomy, stretching from the author's lawn, into orbit and back again, via every continent' Gardens Illustrated

'Utterly delightful' Plantlife

'Accessible, inviting and revelatory... Aliya Whiteley animates the hidden world of fungi in prose as rich and beautiful as the strange organisms she turns her attention to.' - Alice Tarbuck, author of A Spell in the Wild