Book reviews

The ninth edition of this world-famous mycologist’s handbook is substantially expanded when compared with the former editions. The current edition comprises more than 20,000 entries of generic names, mycological terms, mycotoxins and metabolites, as well as diagnoses of families, orders and higher categories of fungi. The list of generic names and terms used in mycological literature is very extensive and (almost) complete. For each genus the author is cited, followed by data of publication, current status, systematic position, estimated number of species, and references to literature. Mycological terms are explained, when necessary with a figure. Bibliographic data are given for many famous mycologists. New in this edition is a refined and up-to-date classification of fungi, reflecting new insights generated by molecular research. Anamorphic taxa are now fully integrated in this system. The synopsis greatly facilitates the user to find the exact taxonomic position of the groups he is interested in. This impressive piece of work, the result of a long-lasting cooperation of many specialists, is firmly bound in hard cover. It should not be missed on any mycologist’s bookshelf.