Beautiful Swimmers

Beautiful Swimmers
by William W. Warner
Adopted by
Valerie and Leland S. Bisbee III
in honor of our grandchildren Kennedy, Payton, Stella, Claire, and Campbell
on October 20, 2019
Cover Image: Beautiful Swimmers

Beautiful swimmers : watermen, crabs, and the Chesapeake Bay

By William W. Warner. New York: Back Bay Books, 1994.

In lively prose, with helpful and lovely illustrations, William Warner describes the blue crab, its Chesapeake Bay environment, and the industry and people who interact with it. Beautiful Swimmers won the Pulitzer Prize for Nonfiction in 1977. The book delves into the fascinating details of the blue crab, Callinectus sapiduthe (translated as “beautiful swimmer”)—its biology, habitat, behavior, and, of course, deliciousness. It describes the lives of the watermen, the people who work the crab boats⁠—their history and traditions, the details of their difficult jobs, and their communities. The author’s love of the Chesapeake Bay is evident in the rich narrative of its history⁠—both natural and social⁠—and its uncertain future. 

William Warner (1920-2008) was an American naturalist and prolific writer. He spent much of his life living and working in the Chesapeake Bay area, among the fishermen and the famous crabs. He was a consultant to the Smithsonian Institution and a recipient of their Exceptional Service Award. Mr. Warner’s later writings, including the Afterword in a 1994 edition of Beautiful Swimmers, expressed growing concern over the negative impact of people on their environment.

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Adoption Type: Build and Access the Collection