Hello everybody,

I would like to ask some help with choosing one or maybe two of the following titles:

1. Breitenbach, J. and F. Kränzlin (1984). Fungi of Switzerland. Volume 1: Ascomycetes. Luzern, Switzerland: Verlag Mykologia. 310p.
2. Dennis, R. W. G. (1981). British Ascomycetes. Reprint Edition. Vaduz, Liechtenstein: J. Cramer. 585p.
3. Hanlin, Richard T. (1990). Illustrated Genera of Ascomycetes. St. Paul, MN: APS Press. 263p. and Illustrated Genera of Ascomycetes, Volume II. St. Paul, MN: APS Press. 258p. or Combined Keys to Illustrated Genera of Ascomycetes Volumes I & II. St. Paul, MN: APS Press. 113p.
4. Hansen, Lise and Henning Knudsen (2000). Nordic Macromycetes. Volume 1. Ascomycetes. Copenhagen, Denmark: Nordsvamp. 209p.

Could anyone please suggest which book(s) would be more useful for a (compete) beginner who needs both a combined identification and reference source and a real value for money, too.

I am also going to buy a relatively new work by V.P. Prokhorov, Keys to the fungi of Russia: Discomycetes, No. 1, the families Ascobolaceae, Iodophanaceae, Ascodesmidaceae, Pezizaceae, Pyronemataceae, Thelebolaceae.
2004. 256pp. Its Russian edition is rather inexpensive here, less than 5 Euros.

I was able to find some literature that's freely available on-line: A Manual of the British Discomycetes by W. Phillips (1887), a part of Band 2 of Die Mikroskopischen Pilze by G. Lindau (1922) that's dedicated to Ascomycetes and a corresponding part of the Vol. II of The Fungi by F.A. Wolf and F.T. Wolf (1947). Some other keys were downloaded, too, the best of them are from Petersen's MycoKey site, but they are in Danish and that will be tough enough...

Any kind advice of the noble company would be highly appreciated.