After spending time with Chinese and Japanese matsutake scientists in their labs and field
stations and as he became an ever-more skilled mushroom forager himself Hathaway reconceived
this book entirely. Rather than writing a book on the social worlds of Chinese mushroom hunters
he decided to key on how the mushroom's own behavior shapes the actions of humans and human
communities--as well as the actions of other living beings--in ways that aren't often
considered. The matsutake and other fungi aren't simply pawns of human economic projects. They
seek out other species to carry out their own life projects--i.e. they make their own worlds.
And in so doing they exert profound influence on all living things around them. Of course this
is true not just of fungi. All living organisms including plants and animals constantly and
actively interpret and engage with their surroundings--
