Mark Kurlansky is the prolific author of over 20 books, including the New York Times bestsellers Salt: A World History and Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World. His articles have appeared in a wide variety of newspapers and magazines, including The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, Time Magazine, Food & Wine, Bon Appetit and Parade. He has won many awards for his writing, including the James Beard Award for Writing on Food, the Glenfiddich Award, the ALA Notable Book Award and others. He lives in New York City. 

Photo courtesy: Sylvia Plachy