James Merton Lawrence of Shelburne, Vt., passed away peacefully on May 7, 2023, with family at his side.

James was born on November 11, 1946, in Binghamton N.Y., the son of the late Merton Grover Lawrence and Anne (Sperniak) Lawrence.

The first in his family to attend college, James enrolled at Cornell University, intending to pursue a veterinary career. After taking an elective class in communication arts, he fell in love with the field of journalism. Upon graduating in 1969, he joined the Peace Corps and worked in Putumayo, Colombia, for two years.

Returning home, James enrolled in a magazine journalism program at Syracuse University and graduated with a master's degree in 1974. With family ties in Canada, he landed a job as a reporter for the Kingston Whig Standard, moving from police reporting to editing the op-ed page and doing investigative journalism.

The start of James’ incredible entrepreneurial career was in 1976 with the kitchen-table launch of a back-to-the-land style magazine titled Harrowsmith, named after a nearby Ontario town. The first issue had the eye-catching cover of a large green tomato imprinted with a lipstick kiss and the cover line: “Kissing Supermarkets Goodbye.” This was followed in 1981 with the launch of Equinox, The Magazine of Canadian Discovery. Both titles earned prestigious Canadian national magazine awards.

James had big ideas and the determination to bring them to life through a combination of hard work and the unerring ability to find and convert talented people to his cause.

Two affiliated book-publishing companies, Camden House Books (Canada and U.S.), produced titles in the fields of natural history, gardening, food, country skills, astronomy and ecology.

With an eye towards a larger audience and to establish a U.S. base of operations, James and his family moved to Charlotte, Vt., in 1985, where he launched Harrowsmith Country Life. In 1990, EatingWell magazine was launched, riding the growing interest in healthful eating and reliably delicious recipes. After an acquisition, the new parent company shuttered the magazine in 1999.

James went on to open a new book-publishing venture and a beautiful destination bookstore in Shelburne, Vt., both called Chapters. Chapters Publishing was the winner of various awards, including the James Beard Award and Julia Child Award for Excellence in Cookbook Publishing.

The ups and downs of publishing led to the next adventure, Microcosm Books, specializing in publications about the natural world, notably ocean life and aquarium-keeping, both longtime personal interests. During this period, the opportunity came to reacquire the EatingWell brand, and the magazine was successfully relaunched in 2002. In this second life of EatingWell, James personally won a James Beard award for food journalism. Separating from EatingWell in 2006, he then established Reef to Rainforest Media and launched the highly respected Amazonas and CORAL magazines. His most recent project was editing the memoirs of the late Dr. J.E. (Jack) Randall, a world-renowned ichthyologist, to be published in partnership with the Bishop Museum in Hawaii.

He is survived by his partner, Judy Billard; his daughters, Bayley Freeman (Nicholas), Kerry Healey (Michael), Jessica Lawrence (Shawn), and their mother and his former wife, Alice Z. Lawrence; his grandchildren, Zoe, Owen, Maya and Fiona; and also by Judy’s sons, Craig Bunten (Callie), Alex Bunten (Britta) and Will Bunten (Kathy), and her grandchildren, Eliza, Phoebe, Edie and Warren.

James’ many interests included cooking, barbecuing, gardening, travel, ecology, ocean life, warm sandy beaches (especially on Antigua), snorkeling, aquarium-keeping, train sets and music.

A complex, intelligent man with intense interests and the optimism of an entrepreneur and inventor, James had a profound and lasting effect on the people with whom he worked and lived. He will be greatly missed and lovingly remembered.

In James’ memory, please consider donating to World Central Kitchen or the Vermont Food Bank. Private services will be held to celebrate his life at a later date.

Arrangements are in the care of the Cremation Society of Chittenden County. To send online condolences to the family, please visit cremationsocietycc.com.