Book Review - A Brush with Fungi
- David Winnard
- 12 hours ago
- 3 min read
I keep meaning to add a section to the Discover the Wild website dedicated to my own reviews of natural history books. The ones I reach for most often as field guides, the ones I pore over for inspiration, the books I drool over for their images, and—just as importantly—the ones I might suggest avoiding. Where to buy them, which editions are worth owning, and which genuinely earn their place on the shelf. Alas, it’s something I’ve never quite got around to doing.
That changed after a delightful phone call with David Mitchell, a fungal enthusiast from Scotland, who very kindly wanted to send me a copy of his new book, A Brush with Fungi. The book is a collection of David’s own paintings, accompanied by concise text to aid identification—a substantial, coffee-table-sized celebration of fungi. And so, it felt like the perfect place to finally begin.
The first question many people will ask is: is this a field guide? The short answer is no. It weighs around 3kg and is unapologetically large. But then, most of the fungi books I actually use for identification aren’t true field guides either. They’re books you return to once you’re home, cup of tea in hand, photographs and field notes spread out on the table. In that sense, A Brush with Fungi sits comfortably alongside the books I already rely on.
What this book is, however, is a beautiful source of inspiration. It’s the sort of book you pick up on a cold winter’s evening, glass of wine nearby, fire crackling, and slowly work through page by page. It encourages you to get out and look for fungi, while also being something to savour in quiet moments indoors.
What really makes the book personal is that it is built entirely around David’s paintings—and they are beautifully done. I envy anyone who can paint. I’ve always wanted to be able to draw, and it’s probably one of the reasons I gravitated toward photography: a way to capture what I’ve seen when my hands can’t translate it onto paper. David’s paintings feel like they come from someone who has truly seen these fungi. I can picture the specimens in the field, or laid out carefully on a table, studied closely as he paints. Many of the images could quite happily be framed and hung on the wall—I’d be tempted to put more than one up in my office.
The style of the book really speaks to me. Clean illustrations on a white background, paired with clear, unfussy text about identification. Simple and elegant. It’s an approach I’ve used on this website for years because, for me, it’s themost effective way to help people learn. That familiarity made the layout instantly appealing.
The book covers 260 species. That might sound modest compared to other hefty volumes that boast well over a thousand, but the selection here is spot on. These are largely the species most forayers and fungi enthusiasts are likely to encounter, with just enough less-common inclusions to spark curiosity and ambition. Once again, this isn’t a comprehensive field guide—it’s a love letter to fungi.
So, would I buy it?
Yes, without hesitation. The paintings alone justify the price, and when combined with the useful identification notes, it becomes a book I’ll return to whenever I need a dose of inspiration. At £69 (currently from Summerfield Books), it’s a serious book, but one that earns its place. I always encourage fungi enthusiasts to own as many good books as possible—to compare descriptions, images, and interpretations—and A Brush with Fungi will sit very comfortably alongside the rest of mine.
You can order a copy from
Dave