Thinking about fungi makes the world look different
When we think of fungi, we probably 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 support and sustain nearly all living systems. The more we learn about fungi, the less makes sense without them.
Sheldrake’s mind-bending journey into this hidden world ranges from yeast to psychedelics, to the fungi that sprawl for miles underground and are the largest organisms on the planet, to those that make all plant life possible, to those that infiltrate and manipulate insect bodies with devastating precision.
Fungi throw our concepts of individuality and even intelligence into question. 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.
Entangled Life is now available in a stunning illustrated edition, abridged by the author, with over 100 spectacular full colour images.
** Sunday Times bestseller ** New York Times bestseller ** Royal Society Science Book Prize Winner ** Wainwright Prize Winner ** BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week ** British Book Awards Shortlist ** Rathbones Folio Prize Longlist ** Goodreads Choice Awards Finalist ** Taiwan Openbook Award Winner ** Nautilus Book Awards Grand Award Winner ** Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries Literature Award Winner ** Guild of Food Writers First Book Award Winner ** Lithuanian Translated Book of the Year ** Groenveld Award Winner (NL) ** Richard Jeffries Society Literary Prize Shortlist ** André Simon Award Longlist ** The Times audiobook of the year in the category of 'authors voicing their own work' ** A best book of 2020 as chosen by BBC Science Focus, The Daily Mail, Geographical, Science Friday, TIME magazine, The Times, The Telegraph, Andrew Marr, Sigrid Rausing, Andrew Motion, Tyler Cowen, and Charles Foster, among others. **
“Entangled Life is a dazzling, vibrant, vision-changing book. Sentence after sentence stopped me short. I ended it wonderstruck at the fungal world and the earth-shaking, hierarchy-breaking implications of Sheldrake's argument. This is a remarkable work by a remarkable writer, which succeeds in springing life into strangeness again.”
— Robert Macfarlane, author of Underland
"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 the virtue of the power of its writing, shifts your sense of the Human… it will inspire a generation to enter mycology."
— Michael Pollan, author of How to Change Your Mind (Bay Area Book Festival, 2020)
— Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale (on Twitter)
— Andrea Wulf, author of The Invention of Nature: The Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt
"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
"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 You Are Not A Gadget
“True to his name, Merlin takes us on a magical journey deep into the roots of Nature — the mycelial universe that exists under every footstep we take in life. Merlin is an expert storyteller, weaving the tale of our co-evolution with fungi into a scientific adventure. Entangled Life is a must read.”
— Paul Stamets, author of Mycelium Running
"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
"Sheldrake's charm and curiosity make 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
"[An] ebullient and ambitious exploration… Within 24 hours of finishing “Entangled Life” I had ordered an oyster mushroom-growing kit. I started scrutinizing the lichens that hug the damp concrete in the yard. This book may not be a psychedelic — and unlike Sheldrake, I haven’t dared to consume my copy (yet) — but reading it left me not just moved but altered, eager to disseminate its message of what fungi can do.”
— Jennifer Szalai, THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Entangled Life is a gorgeous book of literary nature writing… ripe with insight and erudition… food for the soul.”
“An exuberant introduction to the biology, ecology, climatology, and psychopharmacology of the earth’s ‘metabolic wizards.’”
— HARPER’S MAGAZINE
"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.”
“Expands our conception of the living world… laced with intriguing details.”
— THE FINANCIAL TIMES
"From bread to booze to the very fiber of life, the world turns on fungus, and Sheldrake provides a top-notch portrait."
“Masterful… A superb science book about a ubiquitous yet vastly underappreciated life form.”
“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, author of Feral
“It is impossible to put this book down. Entangled Life provides a window into the mind-boggling biology and fascinating cultures surrounding fungal life. Sheldrake asks us to consider a life-form that is radically alien to ours, yet vibrant and lively underfoot.”
— Hans-Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director of the Serpentine Galleries
“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
“This engaging book shines light on the hidden fungal connections that link plants, trees, and us. I thought I knew a lot about fungi, but I found much that was new to me, and exciting. Sheldrake is a rare scientist who is not afraid to speculate about the truly profound implications of their work. A very good read.”
— Andrew Weil, author of True Food
“Entangled Life is a triumph, and a thing of vast beauty.”
— Tom Hodgkinson, The Idler
“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 at the London School of Economics, author of Soul Dust
“This book is as hard to put down as a thrilling detective novel, and one of the best works of popular science writing that I have enjoyed in years. Sheldrake has a gift of explaining very complex concepts and serving it all up in such an engaging way that the reader forgets that they are not supposed to understand this stuff.”
— Dennis McKenna, author (with Terence McKenna) of Psilocybin: Magic Mushroom Grower’s Guide
“Entangled Life is a beautiful and profound meditation into the nature of life and intelligence. Thoroughly recommended!”
— Yadvinder Malhi, Professor of Ecosystem Science, University of Oxford
“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
“Sheldrake awakens the reader to a shapeshifting, mind-altering, animate world that not only surrounds us but intimately involves us as well. A joyful exploration of the most overlooked and enigmatic kingdom of life, and one that expanded my appreciation of what it means to be alive.”
— Peter Brannen, author of The Ends of the World
“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
“Entangled Life is a revelation with life-changing consequences. I now realize how distorted my views on fungi have been, having been deeply educated in modern medicine. This book expanded my worldview and I hope it is read widely in the medical profession. We are in dire need of it.”
— Larry Dossey, MD, author of One Mind
“Entangled Life is a remarkable piece of work that manages to be at once scholarly and visionary and yet remains deeply engaging and enjoyable. Sheldrake 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.”
— Ian Henderson, Professor of Plant Genetics and Epigenetics, University of Cambridge
“After reading Sheldrake's masterpiece I am more convinced than ever that we will never solve the grave problems of our times unless we deeply re-entangle our lives ‘fungus-style’ into the living fabric of our lustrous planet.”
— Dr Stephan Harding, Senior Lecturer in Holistic Science and Deep Ecology, Schumacher College
“Fungi are fascinating! Elegant life strategies meet with delicate omnipresence, driving global ecosystems. Sheldrake’s book informs and offers new concepts. Looking through Sheldrake’s lens, fungal biology integrates with art, philosophy and human society. His voice is real and personal. His book educates and entertains.”
— Uta Paszkowski, Professor of Plant Molecular Genetics, University of Cambridge
“Sheldrake brilliantly weaves a narrative to reframe our understanding of the fabric of life, extending the boundaries of our identity in the process. Entangled Life positively bristles with insight, dry humour and a passionately curious intelligence. This is a landmark achievement with profound implications for how we collectively contribute to shaping a sustainable future for the whole of life on the planet.”
— David Lorimer, Programme Director, Scientific and Medical Network
