William Warner

William W. Warner (1920–2008) was an American biologist and writer whose first book, Beautiful Swimmers: Watermen, Crabs and the Chesapeake Bay, won the 1977 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. The book grew out of his time living and working among Chesapeake Bay crab fishermen, and it became his best-known work.

He was a 1943 graduate of Princeton University and spent much of his professional life in public service. Warner held administrative roles at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and other sources also connect him with work in international and public programs before and during those years.

Alongside his books, his writing appeared in publications including The New York Times and Atlantic Naturalist. Readers remember him for nonfiction that feels deeply observed and humane, blending science, place, and everyday working life in a way that still feels fresh.