Entangled Life Synopsis
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WITH OVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE
A "brilliant [and] entrancing" (The Guardian) journey into the hidden lives of fungi-the great connectors of the living world-and their astonishing and intimate roles in human life, with the power to heal our bodies, expand our minds, and help us address our most urgent environmental problems.
"Grand and dizzying in how thoroughly it recalibrates our understanding of the natural world."-Ed Yong, author of An Immense World
ONE OF PEOPLE'S BEST BOOKS OF THE 2020S ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Time, BBC Science Focus, The Daily Mail, Geographical, The Times, The Telegraph, New Statesman, London Evening Standard, Science Friday
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 this mind-bending book, Sheldrake introduced us to this mysterious but massively diverse kingdom of life. This exquisitely designed volume, abridged from the original, features more than one hundred 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. By examining fungi on their own terms, Sheldrake reveals how these extraordinary organisms-and our relationships with them-are changing our understanding of how life works.
Winner of the Wainwright Prize, the Royal Society Science Book Prize, and the Guild of Food Writers Award Shortlisted for the British Book Award Longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780525510314 |
| Publication date: |
12th May 2020 |
| Author: |
Merlin Sheldrake |
| Publisher: |
Random House an imprint of Random House Publishing Group |
| Format: |
Hardback |
| Pagination: |
368 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Popular Science
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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Merlin Sheldrake Press Reviews
This engaging book shines light on the hidden fungal connections that link plants, trees, and us. Sheldrake is a rare scientist who is not afraid to speculate about the truly profound implications of his work. A very good read -- ANDREW WEIL, author of True Food
You may never look at fungi in the same way... Entangled Life is an eye-opening exploration of this mysterious taxonomic kingdom... a journey into an untapped world. It is both a wonderful collection of fungal feats... and a personal account of Sheldrake's experiences with these miraculous organisms - New Scientist
A triumph and a thing of vast beauty -- TOM HODGKINSON, The Idler
Entangled Life is a remarkable book that manages to be at once scholarly, visionary and a deeply engaging and enjoyable read. It provides a new and penetrating analysis of the fungal kingdom of life that will be a greatly enriching read for all students of the living world -- Dr IAN HENDERSON, Lecturer in Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge
This is an adventurous and indeed daring book, opening several unfamiliar micro-domains in the organic life world and its multiple connections. There is much to be learned in this wide field, and this vivid, scrupulous guide points the way -- J. H. PRYNNE
Unputdownable, this extraordinary work explores the awesome range of activities of fungi: enabling the first life on land; interacting in countless ways with other life forms; shaping human history and potentially safeguarding our future. At once rigorously scientific and boldly imaginative, it raises fundamental questions about the many natures of life on Earth -- NICK JARDINE, Emeritus Professor of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge
I was completely unprepared for Sheldrake's book. It rolled over me like a tsunami, leaving the landscape rearranged but all the more beautiful -- NICHOLAS HUMPHREY, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, LSE, author of Soul Dust
Fungi are everywhere, and Merlin Sheldrake is an ideal guide to their mysteries. He's passionate, deeply knowledgeable and a wonderful writer -- ELIZABETH KOLBERT, author of The Sixth Extinction
It is impossible to put this book down. Entangled Life provides a window into the mind-boggling biology and fascinating cultures surrounding fungal life, as well as fungi's innumerable uses in materials, medicine and ecology. Sheldrake asks us to consider a life-form that is radically alien to ours, yet vibrant and lively underfoot -- HANS ULRICH OBRIST
A magical journey deep into the roots of Nature. Merlin is an expert storyteller, weaving the tale of our co-evolution with fungi into a scientific adventure. Entangled Life is a must read for citizen scientists hoping to make a positive difference on this sacred planet we share -- PAUL STAMETS, author of Mycelium Running
Sheldrake's charm and curiosity makes for a book that is delightful to read, but also grand and dizzying in how thoroughly it recalibrates our understanding of the natural world, and the often-overlooked organisms within it -- ED YONG, author of I Contain Multitudes
Reading this book, I felt surrounded by a web of wonder. The natural world is more fantastic than any fantasy, so long as you have the means to perceive it. This book provides the means -- JARON LANIER, author of Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now
Entangled Life is a revelation. It is a radical, hopeful and important book and I couldn't put it down. With elegance, wit and clarity Sheldrake engages us in the hidden world of fungi, a miraculous web of connections, interactions and communication that changes the way we need to look at life, the planet and ourselves -- ISABELLA TREE, author of Wilding
I fell in love with this book. Merlin is a scientist with the imagination of a poet and a beautiful writer ... This is a book that, by virtue of the power of its writing, shifts your sense of the human ... It will inspire a generation to enter mycology -- MICHAEL POLLAN (Bay Area Book Festival, 2020)
A true masterpiece, a thrilling and fascinating insight into the living world, beautifully written, entertaining, funny and inspiring, while representing the science carefully and responsibly. I hope and trust that it will become an instant classic -- GEORGE MONBIOT
One of those rare books that can truly change the way you see the world around you, Entangled Life is a mercurial, revelatory, impassioned, urgent, astounding, and necessary read. It's fearless in scope, analytically astute, and brimming with infectious joy -- HELEN MACDONALD, author of H is for Hawk
A dazzling, vibrant, vision-changing book. Sentence after sentence stopped me short. I ended it wonderstruck at the fungal world - the secrets of which modern science is only now beginning to fathom - and the earth-shaking, hierarchy-breaking implications of Sheldrake's argument. A remarkable work by a remarkable writer -- Robert MacFarlane, author of Underland
