Dictionary of the Fungi

Dictionary of the Fungi (later published as Ainsworth & Bisby's Dictionary of the Fungi) is a multi-edition reference work in mycology. First published in 1943, it was compiled by Guy Richard Bisby and Geoffrey C. Ainsworth and revised through ten editions, with the tenth and most recent edition issued in 2008. The work compiles generic names and higher-level classification, defines terminology, and provides short entries on topics, people, and institutions in the study of fungi. Arranged alphabetically, it combines taxonomic entries with definitions, topical articles, and (from the sixth edition onwards) coverage of lichen-forming fungi. Later editions reflected advances in molecular phylogenetics, with the tenth edition adopting the consensus taxonomy from the Assembling the Fungal Tree of Life project; the editors also reorganised the volume into three internally defined sections, separating entries on the true fungi from those on chromistan and protozoan fungi-like organisms traditionally treated in mycology.

The Dictionary has been described by reviewers as an essential reference for working mycologists. Early reviews praised it as a practical, time-saving work suitable for both professional and amateur readers, and later assessments characterised it as a reference most mycologists needed to keep immediately accessible. At the same time, reviewers noted the difficulty of maintaining a compact reference work amid rapid taxonomic change, pointing to inconsistencies in treatment, rising costs, and the challenge of integrating new molecular evidence. The editors of the tenth edition suggested it might be the last printed version of the work.