"Fungi: Their Nature and Uses" by M. C. Cooke is an informative text that aimed to teach readers about the interesting and often underappreciated world of fungi. Fungi are complex and can be both dangerous and extremely useful. Mordecai Cubitt Cooke was an English botanist and mycologist who was, at various points, a London schoolteacher, a Kew mycologist, curator at the India Museum, journalist and author. He uses his expertise in this book so diligently that even modern readers can find a use for it.