Coniocarpous lichens and similar non-lichenized fungi are a group that is of special interest to lichenologists but still suffers greatly from neglect. There are about 100 species in Europe and approximately half of them are treated in this book. The book aims to popularize the group, by giving guidance on where and how to find them and providing accessible tables and keys for identification. It contains very useful introductory chapters, particularly relating to ecology and some similar fungi (and Myxomycetes) but omits similar hyphomycetous ascomycetes.
Above all, the book provides beautiful macro illustrations for each treated species, a habitat picture and a close-up picture. Both are mostly page size, so that the book looks rather like a calendar. For many species, this is the first time that they have been illustrated at high magnification, usually about ×25. At this magnification, the non-microscopical differences between the species are very clear and the use of this book will hopefully aid identification of these organisms. Some species are even illustrated twice, since they are also in the introductory chapters. It would have been useful if a reference was given to the extra pictures on the species page.
The book is completely bilingual (English/Dutch), usually with the English text first, on the left-hand pages, and the Dutch text on the right-hand pages. The habitat pictures are on the left, with the scientific name as the heading. On the right-hand page, the close-up pictures (the real asset of the book) have the Dutch name as a footer, but due to the graphic design, these names appear upside down when the pictures are put in their natural orientation which seems very odd.
The book is a real field guide; microscopical characters are given in an appendix. Authorities of species are not mentioned, the provenance of the illustrated specimens is not given (not even the country) and there are no scale bars. The selection of the species is not explained but the majority of the European species are treated, except for Chaenothecopsis, where only a selection of the more common taxa are illustrated. The taxonomy and nomenclature are somewhat conservative; for instance, the genus Cyphelium is still used.
This is a very original and useful book, and it is recommended to lichenologists. When it arrived here in Brazil, this was the 18th country it had been sent to. I expect that this book could become a standard reference and many future editions could follow.
