Entangled Life: Illustrated Edition

＂When we think of fungi, we likely think of mushrooms. But mushrooms are only fruiting bodies, analogous to apples on a tree. Most fungi live out of sight yet make up a massively diverse kingdom of organisms that supports and sustains nearly all living systems. Fungi provide a key to understanding the planet on which we live, and the ways we think, feel, and behave. In the first edition of the mind-bending, ＂gorgeous＂ (Margaret Atwood), ＂brilliant [and] entrancing＂ (The Guardian) Entangled Life, Sheldrake introduced us to this mysterious but massively diverse kingdom of life. This new edition, abridged from the original, features over 100 full-color images that bring the spectacular variety, strangeness and beauty of fungi to life as never before. Fungi throw our concepts of individuality and even intelligence into question. They are metabolic masters, earth makers, and key players in most of life’s processes. They can change our minds, heal our bodies, and even help us remediate environmental disaster. In vivid, surprising images, Sheldrake reveals how these extraordinary organisms--and our relationships with them--are changing our understanding of how life works.＂--Dust jacket.

Merlin Sheldrake has a PhD in the History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University, where he was a prize-winning scholar. He was among the top 100 Global Thought Leaders for 2013, as ranked by the Duttwieller Institute, Zurich, Switzerland’s leading think tank. He is also an experienced musician and performer. This is his first book.