At Sea in the City: New York from the Water's Edge

New York is defined by its streets—Broadway, Madison, Flatbush, Delancey—which seem to extend endlessly through the city's literature and imagination. Yet the city's boundaries extend beyond land to water. Long before Broadway existed as a cart track, rivers were the city's primary routes and defining feature. William Kornblum, a New York City native, longtime sailor, urban sociologist, and first-time author, views the city as an urban archipelago shaped by water and the people who navigated it for trade, profit, and freedom. For decades, he has sailed the city's waterways in his ancient catboat, Tradition. In At Sea in the City, Kornblum takes readers on these journeys through his hometown, recounting the history of the city's waterfront and maritime culture alongside stories of the men and women who made the water central to their lives. The book reflects Kornblum's humility, humor, and sense of wonder.