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by the area and want to know more about it.” Thus, books about the Chesapeake Bay and the Eastern Shore are always in demand and sell just behind works of general fiction. “We sell a lot of [James] Michener’s Chesapeake and Chestertown local Kate Livie’s Chesapeake Oysters,” said Kalwaitis, a visual artist who has made many portraits of authors that hang in the store as well as commissions for customers. Martin, who once had a near complete collection of books by Nobel laureates in stock, has freely received thousands of books from downsizing locals, along with the personal library of the late Washington College English professor Ralph Thornton (1920-2020), who included the gift in his will. “You could just tell that the man loved books,” said Martin, noting that Thornton only wrote in the books with pencil. “Lots of literary criticism on poets I’d never heard of, all in their original dust jackets from obscure Irish presses, obscure English presses.” Of his pursuit of inventory, Martin said, “I’m like a baseball manager; I’ll take the best player available no matter what position they play. Whatever the subject, I’ll go with the best they’ve got.” Chestertown writer Ellen Uzelac frequents The Bookplate regularly and takes guests there when they are visiting the riverside seat of Kent County. “Going to Bookplate is like falling down a rabbit hole in a good way,” said Uzelac. “Room after room, aisle after aisle—an endless array. No matter who I’ve taken there, no one has walked out without at least a couple of books.
Visit cbmm.org for details CHESAPEAKE BAY MARITIME MUSEUM 213 N. Talbot Street, St. Michaels, MD 410-745-2916 | cbmm.org
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ChesapeakeBayMagazine.com
October 2021
Rafael Alvarez is the author of The Baltimore Love Project, a history of public murals in his hometown. He can be reached via orlo.leini@gmail.com.
