Pulitzer Prize General Non Fiction Winner
Beautiful Swimmers
by William W. Warner
Summary
A richly detailed portrait of the Atlantic blue crab and the watermen of Chesapeake Bay who have built a way of life around its harvest. Warner moves between marine biology, the seasonal rhythms of the bay, and the working lives of crabbers, boat builders, and processors to evoke an entire ecological and human community. The book is a touchstone of regional natural history and Chesapeake literature.
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Historical Context & Significance
The book is celebrated as a masterpiece of "regional natural history," blending marine biology with the social anthropology of the bay's fishing communities.