BALTIMORE, May 2, 2016 - At its April 2016 meeting, the maritime committee of the Maryland Historical Society awarded the 2016 Brewington Book Prize to Kate Livie for her book, Chesapeake Oysters: The Bay's Foundation and Future (Charleston, S.C.: History Press, 2015).
The Brewington Book Prize is awarded annually by the Maryland Historical Society's maritime committee for the best book on the maritime history, or current aspects of maritime affairs, related to the Chesapeake Bay or the nation. The Prize, which comes with a $1,000 honorarium, is named for Marion Brewington, a legendary maritime curator and historian. This year, the maritime committee considered eight outstanding books in the field.
According to Dr. William S. Dudley, the chairman of the task force that selected Livie's book, Chesapeake Oysters was their unanimous choice, "selected for its breadth of research in terms of the Bay's oyster fishery and its economic and cultural impact on the development of the Chesapeake Bay region and beyond; the importance of the topic for those who would understand the ecological impact of oystering upon the health of the Bay; author Livie's graceful prose and selection of lively anecdotes; and her valuable contribution linking the history of oystering, oystermen, politics, and the current role of aquaculture in the future of the seafood industry."
Kate Livie is an educator, writer, and historian. An Eastern Shore native, Livie is the director of education at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels, Maryland. An avid commentator on Chesapeake topics, Livie is the author and photographer of the tumblr 'beautifulswimmers', covering the Bay's culture, environment and history, and has contributed to regional and national magazines on Chesapeake Bay topics. Chesapeake Oysters: The Bay's Foundation and Future is her first book.
Marion Brewington (1902-74) was a distinguished maritime curator and historian. During World War II, he was a curator for the Navy. After the war, he was the maritime curator of the Maryland Historical Society, a trustee of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, and held curatorial and administrative positions at the Peabody Museum in Salem, Massachusetts, and at the Kendall Whaling Museum in Sharon, Massachusetts. His books include Chesapeake Bay: A Pictorial History, and Chesapeake Bay Log Canoes and Bugeyes.
About The Maryland Historical Society
Founded in 1844, The Maryland Historical Society Museum and Library occupies an entire city block in the Mount Vernon district of Baltimore. The society's mission is to "collect, preserve, and interpret the objects and materials that reflect Maryland's diverse cultural heritage." The Society is home to the original manuscript of the Star-Spangled Banner and publishes a quarterly titled "Maryland Historical Magazine." Visit www.mdhs.org.
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