What I'm Reading: Beautiful Swimmers

It’s summertime and without television or internet in my new digs, I’ve had time to dig into some pleasure reading that always takes a backseat during the school year. First up was Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs, and the Chesapeake Bay by William W. Warner at the recommendation of my internship supervisor. Winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1970s, the book definitely refers to an older time in Bay culture, but was a great introduction to the history and tradition of an area so heavily influenced by maritime culture.

I can now tell you more than you’d probably care to know about the blue crab and how to tong for oysters. In fact, I like to think this knowledge came to use as we tried tonging today at the museum as part of internship orientation. I successfully found the oyster the docent had seeded just off the dock on my very first try – apparently that is quite the feat and I am rather proud of it!  

Beautiful Swimmers is more than just a history of the Bay or a scientific text on the Eastern Shore. Warner recounts his own experiences researching the book with a descriptive flair that makes for an easy read.