Book reviews

This book is a concise and rewritten version of the author’s ‘Anatomie der Hymenomyceten’, published in 1997 by Koeltz Verlag (CH), which, unfortunately, never has been reviewed in this journal. In almost 500 pages the author leads us through the exciting world of the anatomy, cytology, and histology of the Hymenomycetes, which include all major groups of higher basidiomycetes, excluding gasteroid and jelly fungi. After a short introduction to the Hymenomycetes and their general developmental morphology, the book opens with an elaborate account of the features of the building stone of a basidiomycete fruit-body: the hypha, followed by a chapter on the mycelium with all its structures. Further chapters deal with mitospores, basidiospores, cystidia sensu lato, pigments and their topography, bulbils, sclerotia and pseudosclerotia, basidiome types, and developmental characters of the fruit-bodies. The last chapter is devoted to the associations of Hymenomycetes with other organisms. Care is taken of a consistent terminology. The author does not hesitate to make statements as to the correct use of terms and definitions. The text, which is written in a concise and clear style, is illustrated with a great number of high quality figures and diagrams, with clear indication of the source and often improved with help of digital techniques. With this publication the author created a standard work that will be a valuable tool and source of information for several generations of mycologist to come. Ernest and Valerie Emmett, who assisted the author in the preparation of this book, did a wonderful job by using an easy to understand language and style. Every mycologist should have this book on the shelf.