Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard: The Mysterious World of Mushrooms, Molds, and Mycologists

Book Description

Stinkhorns, puffballs, the "corpse finder," deadly Galerina, Satan's bolete, birch conks, black mold, the old man of the woods--the world of fungi is infinitely varied and not a little weird. Now, in Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard, Nicholas Money introduces readers to a dazzling array of fungi, from brewer's yeast and Penicillium to the highly lethal death cap. We learn of Madurella, which can erode bones until they look moth-eaten; Cordyceps, which wracks insects with convulsions, kills them, then sends a stalk out of the insect's head to release more infectious spores; and Claviceps, the poisonous ergot fungus, which causes hallucinations. Money also showcases the lives of famed mycologists--including Reginald Buller who wore horse blinders as he walked to work, the better to study luminescent fungi in his dark lab, and Charles Tulasne, the Audubon of fungi, whose illustrations of specimens border on art. And he recounts his own childhood introduction to fungi in Mr. Bloomfield's orchard, where trees and fruit were devoured by a rogue's gallery of bitter rot, canker, rust, powdery mildew, rubbery wood, and scab. Replete with historical photographs and simple yet effective illustrations, told with a refreshing sense of humor,Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard will fascinate anyone interested in the natural world.

Customer Reviews:

Intriguing Look at Fungi and Molds - Absolutely Fascinating.......2007-04-29

I had never considered mycology, the study of mushrooms, molds, and fungi, to be particularly interesting, once again demonstrating how wrong I can be. I had trouble breaking away from this oddly titled book, Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard. The author, Nicholas P. Money, a research mycologist, has an infectious enthusiasm and a delightful sense of humor, as well as that rare ability to create exceptional science literature for the educated reader.

Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard is more challenging than most popular science books; it is sufficiently detailed to make ideal supplementary reading for biology undergraduate students. I can well imagine that Money's book will be responsible for a surge in applicants to mycology graduate programs.

I was especially fascinated by the complex life cycle of various molds and fungi, their incredible resistance to extreme temperatures, toxic chemicals, and radioactivity, and their remarkable ability to draw upon a seemingly endless set of enzymes to digest their surroundings, whatever that might be. A particular fungus that kills grass on the golf course and never feeds on animals in the wild, has demonstrated the innate capability to consume animal tissue when isolated in the lab from vegetative matter. Money speculates that this remarkable adaptability of molds and fungi offers profound insights into their long evolutionary history, some 3.5 billion years. It somehow seems fitting that there are indeed molds that specialize in consuming other molds.

Money injects humor, and occasional social comment, into his account of fungi and friends. He mentions for example: A black mold is working on a shampoo bottle in my shower, which is ironic because the contents are supposed to possess antifungal properties that suppress dandruff (this fungus is in for a surprise if it breaks through the plastic).

Five stars for Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard - The Mysterious World of Mushrooms, Molds, and Fungi.

Fantastic Book!.......2006-08-09

Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard is far and away the best introduction to the science of mycology for general audience readers and mycology devotees alike. Nicholas Money has a way with words, and his dry sense of humor makes this book a pleasure to read. The one-star review on this page by "Johnny" represents a misguided interpretation of Money's irreverence. The book is certainly NOT racist, and Money makes fun of Western cultures with equal wit (incidentally, I am a Chinese American--one who has studied racist discourse and Orientalism).

An Unhappy Reader.......2006-07-27

Here is a direct quote from page 6 of the book: "...it is a tragedy in a country as populous as China that anything from tiger turds to whale afterbirths can be sold as long as the suggestion is made that their consumption enhances erectile function." What racist garbage! Here is another Eurocentric writer making judgements on another culture. It reminds me of the explorers on Darwin's Beagle who tried to "civilize" the Tierra del Fuego "savages".

I am disappointed that Oxford University Press would allow such ignorant comments to be published in a book whose primary audience is "educated" people. It is sickening that a book like this is published without anyone questioning the appropriateness of such offensive remarks.

I'm sorry, but I put the book away after reading the first chapter, and I am sorry that I wasted $14.95.

Another World Close at Hand.......2004-09-20

The fungus world is all around us, like the world of bacteria. Several books have been recently published on these strange organisms and each has a slightly different slant on them. Actually the very term "fungus" has undergone an evolutionary change over the last few decades. Once part of the plant kingdom, fungi, minus several groups like slime molds and chytrids (although all are still covered in classes on mycology), now enjoy the status of their own kingdom. And a very weird kingdom it is indeed! Nicholas Money from the Department of Botany at Miami University in Ohio has, in his book "Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard," produced a fascinating set of essays on these organisms and the people who study them, from Ingoldian spores to John Webster and the phallic fungi.

As a former resident of Gainesville, Florida, I was quite interested in his chapter on "Angels of Death." In it Money writes that he found Amanita virosa growing near Cedar Key in an area I used to frequent during my days as a graduate student. The destroying angel is a very dangerous mushroom that should be avoided at all costs as it usually kills anyone so unfortunate to eat it. Money's description of these and other fungi that produce nasty toxins certainly gives one pause.

Other topics include the rather bizarre sex life of fungi, and the numerous fungal parasites and symbionts associated with humans. Finally the author gives us an equally fascinating description of Mr. Bloomfield's orchard, an untended apple orchard consumed by fungi.

If you think that fungi don't matter, Money will change your mind, but if you are a bit put off by the subject don't read this book or your curiosity just might hook you into the Alice in Wonderland world of these "simple" organisms! In any case I recommend this book with only minor stylistic reservations. I slightly prefer Hudler's "Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds" for style, but this is just personal taste and has little bearing on content.

Wow!.......2003-06-18

Wow! I never thought Iýd enjoy a book on fungi this much. Parts of it are not a particularly easy read, but the information it contains is mind blowing. Forget terrorists; if fungi and mold decided to take out the human race it would be no contest.

We tend not to think of fungi as being a very important part of our world. We might occasionally have mushrooms on pizza or steak, we might notice fungi growing on an old tree or on something that has been kept too long in the refrigerator, but thatýs about it. In fact fungi has a vast influence in our world, from breaking down fallen trees in the forest to making our bread and beer. Have you ever wondered how dandruff was formed? Guess what plays a major role.

The writer, who presents often bizarre information with wit and style, reminds us that one fungi, covering 2000 acres in Oregon, is thought to be the worldýs largest living organism. Even the more prosaic information comes to life in this book - I enjoyed his description of the speed a spore is catapulted from a gill.

Some of the most interesting sections are the mini-biographies of scientists who have researched fungi and added to our knowledge of them. There was Buller, for instance, a professor whose students called him ýUncle Reggieý, and Ingold who found a totally unknown kind of fungus in water. There are now over 300 species of Ingoldian fungi known and in fall you can find about 20,000 of them in every litre of brook water.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in the natural world. Youýll need to expend a little effort reading the more scholarly parts of it, but youýll learn some amazing stuff about fungi, mold and the scientists who discovered them.

Average customer rating:
Mr. Bloomfield's Orchard : The Mysterious World of Mushrooms, Molds, and Mycologists
Nicholas P. Money
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OKPYTI

Book Description

This reference work and graduate level textbook considers a wide range of models and methods for analyzing and forecasting multiple time series. The models covered include vector autoregressive, cointegrated, vector autoregressive moving average, multivariate ARCH and periodic processes as well as dynamic simultaneous equations and state space models. Least squares, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian methods are considered for estimating these models. Different procedures for model selection and model specification are treated and a wide range of tests and criteria for model checking are introduced. Causality analysis, impulse response analysis and innovation accounting are presented as tools for structural analysis.

The book is accessible to graduate students in business and economics. In addition, multiple time series courses in other fields such as statistics and engineering may be based on it. Applied researchers involved in analyzing multiple time series may benefit from the book as it provides the background and tools for their tasks. It bridges the gap to the difficult technical literature on the topic.

Introduction to Multiple Time Series Analysis

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Introduction to Multiple Time Series Analysis
Helmut Lütkepohl
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Time Series Analysis

ASIN: 3540569405

Book Description

This graduate level textbook deals with analyzing and forecasting multiple time series. It considers a wide range of multiple time series models and methods. The models include vector autoregressive, vector autoregressive moving average, cointegrated, and periodic processes as well as state space and dynamic simultaneous equations models. Least squares, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian methods are considered for estimating these models. Different procedures for model selection or specification are treated and a range of tests and criteria for evaluating the adequacy of a chosen model are introduced. The choice of point and interval forecasts is considered and impulse response analysis, dynamic multipliers as well as innovation accounting are presented as tools for structural analysis within the multiple time series context. This book is accessible to graduate students in business and economics. In addition, multiple time series courses in other fields such as statistics and engineering may be based on this book. Applied researchers involved in analyzing multiple time series may benefit from the book as it provides the background and tools for their task. It enables the reader to perform his or her analyses in a gap to the difficult technical literature on the topic.

New Introduction to Multiple Time Series Analysis

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New Introduction to Multiple Time Series Analysis
Helmut Lutkepohl
Manufacturer: NY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000N6CXK6

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Bless the Beasts and Children

read this book

why bless these bedwetting crybabies?

Miss Inky's thoughts on BTBC

FreeKiN' BeDwEtTeRs

Bless the Beasts and Children (Enriched Classic)
Glendon Swarthout
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0743493699

Book Description

ENDURING LITERATURE ILLUMINATED BY PRACTICAL SCHOLARSHIP

"Send Us a Boy -- We'll Send You a Cowboy!" is the slogan of the Box Canyon Boys Camp. But for the nail biters, thumb suckers, and teeth grinders -- the cast-away offspring of parents who are busy travelling, being divorced, remarrying, and garnering fortunes -- it's just another place to face rejection. Until Cotton.

Cotton pulls them together. In a hot-wired pickup, he leads "the Bedwetters" on a fantastic mission to save a heard of buffalo -- and in the process, to save themselves. But as the raw red Arizona sun rises, they will discover the cost of their one grand moment of glory…

EACH ENRICHED CLASSIC EDITION INCLUDES:

• A concise introduction that gives readers important background information

• A chronology of the author's life and work

• A timeline of significant events that provides the book's historical context

• An outline of key themes and plot points to help readers form their own interpretations

• Detailed explanatory notes

• Critical analysis, including contemporary and modern perspectives on the work

• Discussion questions to promote lively classroom and book group interaction

• A list of recommended related books and films to broaden the reader's experience

Enriched Classics offer readers affordable editions of great works of literature enhanced by helpful notes and insightful commentary. The scholarship provided in Enriched Classics enables readers to appreciate, understand, and enjoy the world's finest books to their full potential.

SERIES EDITED BY CYNTHIA BRANTLEY JOHNSON

Customer Reviews:

Bless the Beasts and Children.......2007-01-12

Bless the Beasts and Children

The Characters-
The characters in this book are Cotton, Teft, Shecker, Goodenow, and Lally 1&2. I liked the characters in this book because they all came together from different families, but the all suffered from the same situation; being unloved and unwanted.
Cotton came from a mother who only cared about looking young and dating older men. Teft came from a father who owns Ivy-League Schools all across the country, and his only worry is getting his son into one of those schools, although he has a criminal record. Shecker came from a family who is always on the road because his father is a comedian, and his father uses him to win back money he lost, by making him eat twelve pieces of pie in four minutes. Goodenow comes from an over-protected mother who can't decide between her only son and a new man, which made him need psychological therapy. And the Lally brothers came from a family full of maids and butlers, and their parents believe that they can buy forgiveness and love.

The Setting-
The setting in this book is the Box Canyon Boys Camp. It is near Flagstaff, Arizona, and also near the Mongollon Rim. The setting fit with the characters because the camps slogan is, "Send Us A Boy, We'll Send You A Cowboy!" and the boys did A LOT of growing up that summer.

The Flashbacks-
Most of the flashbacks in this story are about each of the characters home lives, or their living black holes. In the beginning, most of them wanted to go back to their so-called-"security blanket", but in the end, they wish they could stay forever.

The Point- of -View-
The point of view in this story is third or fourth person because we are watching them do this and then again we are living inside their heads. I loved being part of their emotional- distresses.

Symbolism-
The most symbolize objects in this book are the chamber pot, which symbolizes that the boys are still little. And the buffalo head represents that they are men.

read this book.......2007-01-06

this book is the best novel I've ever read. I'd say read it at any cost

why bless these bedwetting crybabies? .......2007-01-06

i didn't really like the rising action. ok they save buffalo but then like right after that cotton dies. it was to sudden. the characters were kind of wierd! here you have john cotton who every other sentence he swore. next you got gerald goodenow who cried at everything and wanted to carry around the buffalo head all day. he was like attached to that thing. then there was stephen lally jr. who killed animals because he couldn't send a letter home to his mommy. i don't know but they were all wierd. the setting was in the middle of nowhere at a camp in arizona and at some buffalo preserve. the flashbacks were kind of creepy sounding. i think lally 2 has serious mental problems cause he "sees" ooms in the sauna room. yeah get him on some medication and quick! the point of view was in third person where the narrator could see in everyones head.thats kinda scary too! the symbols that really stuck out were the chamber pot who the bedwetters got and the buffalo head the apaches got. wow these teenage boys were at the lowest part of the survival food chain as you could say.

Miss Inky's thoughts on BTBC.......2007-01-06

This was not a very pleasant book to read. I thought it was a good book. But I didn't like how people were always being cutdown, how innocent animals were being killed, how the boys parents' ddidn't really care about them. They just sent them off for the summer so that they didn't have to deal with them. In my opinion the objective of the book was good. The boys were being compationate, which I liked, they thought that the way the buffalos were being killed was cruel, as did I. I did not like the characters. They all were whiny little babies, that don't know how to take care of themselves. The only character that was actually mature and knew how to take care of himself was Cotton. I did like the setting it was a very fresh, peaceful place. Where everybody was happy. I thought that the chamber pot was disgusting, because a bunch of boys peed in it. The Chamber Pot represented that the boys were still thought of as toddlers. The buffalo head was weird. I did not understand why that was a trophy. I mean I know that it represented them being winners. But why did it have to be a buffalo head? On an overall Bless the Beasts and the Children was an ok book. If I had a choice of reading it again I would not. It is not that great of a book. I just liked the objective.

FreeKiN' BeDwEtTeRs.......2007-01-06

They always cry, they always wet the bed. They are wedbetters. They are wimps. I the process... of being men. This is a really good book. The beginning is ok. The rising action gets better. I wont tell you the story, but it gets better. The second rising action involves the bedwetters escaping and telling alot of flashbacks. They escape and thats the end of what I think is the second rising action. The climax is Great I think when they finnaly get to the buffalo preserve and fall in the blood it makes it more exciting. When they are actually releasing them its funny because they are driving in a van throwing food at them. Then lastly there is no falling action so that sucks, it just abruptly stops in the climax. Overall this is a great book If I were you I would deffinitaley by this book. Not for kids under 13.

Bless the Beasts: Children's Prayers and Poems About Animals

Average customer rating:

An enjoyable and inspirational children's picture book
Honoring Connections
OUR ANIMAL FRIENDS

Bless the Beasts: Children's Prayers and Poems About Animals
June Cotner
Manufacturer: SeaStar
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

Children love animals, their connection with animals fosters respect for creation and humanity. These inspirational prayers and poems offer graceful words of personal observation, joy, and concern about their favorite creatures, from the cuddliest pets to the wildest beasts.

Filled with over 30 lavishly illustrated reflections to suit any mood, this interfaith collection includes thoughtful, funny, and profound poems and prayers by such beloved writers as Carl Sandburg, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jane Yolen, and Rudyard Kipling—along with fresh offerings from newer poets and a sprinkling of heartfelt prayers written by children themselves. Together they provide an accessible door to a child’s spiritual life and development of compassionate values.

Customer Reviews:

An enjoyable and inspirational children's picture book.......2002-11-15

Bless The Beasts: Children's Prayers And Poems About Animals is an enjoyable and inspirational children's picture book, illustrated with gentle full color artwork illustrating a series of prayers to God on behalf of humble animals. Bless The Beasts is highly recommended as a delightful, gentle and emotionally moving anthology of spiritual verse for young readers. "Dear God,/You protected the lamb following Mary to school/the mouse running up and down the clock/even the cow jumping over the moon."

Honoring Connections.......2002-10-17

The innate attraction of children for what is true, kind and beautiful can be seen in their love of the natural world. On the exquisitely illustrated pages of BLESS THE BEASTS intriguing insects, family pets, farm animals, artic dwellers and creatures of the sea and skies fill young minds with curiosity, awe, laughter and an enhanced understanding of their humanity. Anyone wishing to encourage and honor the connection between humans and God's creatures whether they splash, creep, crawl, prance, hop or flutter will find a treasure in this creatively collected anthology. Surley many of these accessible yet thought provoking poems and prayers will find a permanent home in the hearts of children and adults who share the joy of reading them again and again.

OUR ANIMAL FRIENDS.......2002-09-12

From poems about birds by Carl Sandburg and Victor Hugo to a poem about horses dancing by Paula Timpson, BLESS THE BEASTS is a feast for animal lovers. Other famous authors, such as Robert Louis Stevenson and Jane Yolen, and many not-so-famous adults and children have shared their love for pets or their admiration for wild creatures in this beautiful collection by June Cotner. Illustrations by Kris Waldherr are so lifelike you will want to stroke the fur or feathers.

If you've ever been owned and loved by an animal or you have a strong empathy with wild animals or birds, this book is a must for your library. Take your cat onto you lap and curl up with it....

Average customer rating:
Bless the Beast & Children
Glendon Swarthout
Manufacturer: Doubleday & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KI41Q6

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Reader's Digest Condensed Books; Volume 2 1970; (Kim a Gift From Vietnam; Bless the Beasts and Children, Great Lion of God, I Chose Prison, Fiona) (Volume 2 1970)

Manufacturer: The Reader's Digest Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000F812AO

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Bless the Beast and the Children (SHEET MUSIC)
Barry De Vorzon & Perry Botkin Jr. (Words and Music)
Manufacturer: Screen Gems / Columbia Music Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Sheet music
ASIN: B000NHZRMG

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Bless the Beasts & Children

Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000GSNYTK

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Bless the Beasts & Children
Swarthout
Manufacturer: Pocket
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 067168843X

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Bless the Beasts & Children
Glendon Swarthout
Manufacturer: Pocket Books, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000K1T5FU

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Bless The Beasts - Children's Prayers And Poems About Animals
June Collected by Cotner
Manufacturer: Seastar Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K0B81U

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Bless The Beasts And Children
Glendon Swarthout
Manufacturer: Penguin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140032746

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