Lucy Kavaler

My fascination with fungi began when I was invited to join a group of writers going to Mexico to partake of the hallucinogenic mushroom and write while under the influence. I didn’t go – fortunately, because the Mexican government arrested them all. Soon afterwards, in connection with an article I was writing, I toured a brewery, and again, there were fungi. I began to notice fungi in whatever I read or heard – about the origin of life on earth, its likelihood on other planets, in wine, bread, penicillin, infections, plant blights – and I saw the vastness of this kingdom and its influence on every one of us. No one else had seen fungi in this way, and I felt compelled to present my vision.

I wrote a proposal at white heat. And then came reality. Publishers were convinced a book on fungi could not sell. Finally, John Day (Pearl Buck’s publisher) which had published some of my juvenile books, agreed to take a chance on it, but clearly took a dim view, as the advance offered was minimal. As I felt this book had to be written, I took what was offered and spent several years on researching -- doing as much first-hand interviewing of major sources as possible – and then writing the book.

The publisher had already said that the print order was small and there were no plans for publicity.

The first sign that things might change came when I submitted the manuscript to my agent. Two days later, the receptionist called to say she had seen the manuscript, thought fungi had to be boring, but read a few pages, and became so absorbed thaat she took it home and read it through the night. Then the bound galleys went out to reviewers and John Day was inundated with phone calls. Time magazine sent a photographer to my house, John Day increased the print order, put their publicist on it and a book party was scheduled, a book tour and all the rest. Later, one edition after the other and excerpts appeared. So “Mushrooms, Molds, and Miracles” has always had a special place in my heart.

It was in print for many years and even afterwards, people kept discovering it in libraries and getting in touch with me and seeking permissions to xerox, etc. A Cornell professor based an entire course on the book, and it was written up in the college newspaper. Used copies being sold on Amazon had a 5-star rating.

I wanted to present my vision of all the wonders of fungi to new readers. And so I turned to the Authors Guild. This organization has created a Back-in-Print series of books, and made an arrangement with iUniverse.

“Mushrooms, Molds,and Miracles” has just been published and I am happy that it will have a second life.
pe your paragraph or brief header here

Description of new work
"Superb," iNew Haven Registeri