Office : Kissena Hall 245
Telephone : (718) 997-2824
Fax : (718) 997-2820
Email : wkornblum@gc.cuny.edu
Professor Kornblum's latest book
Editorial Reviews for At Sea In The City
Kornblum (sociology, CUNY), a native New Yorker, has spent much of his life touring New York's waters. Part urban sociology, part erudite Circle Line tour, Kornblum's charming book recounts the history of New York's waterfront and maritime culture even as he sails along beside it in his old sailboat, Tradition. Kornblum sees the city as an urban archipelago with only one-eighth lying on the mainland; the rest is comprised of larger and smaller islands, many virtually unknown to most New Yorkers. Kornblum hopes that more people will take to the waters of the city to see it from sea level, where it remains a place within nature's domain. Although forever changed by September 11, 2001, for Kornblum the city's waters still exert a magical pull; and for much of the rest of the world, he believes New York remains a place of infinite human possibility. With a fine introduction by onetime waterfront reporter Pete Hamill, this appealing work is suitable for New York City collections. -- Library Journal
" . . . should become an enduring part of the literature of New York and of all cities on the sea." -- Derek Lundy, author of Godforsaken Sea
" . . . the author finds a way of grappling afresh with the history and complexity of the metropolis." -- Phillip Lopate
"Mr. Kornblum has helped me see a piece of New York with fresh eyes.... On page after page, I've learned something new. " --Pete Hamill (from the Foreword)
As we sailed out into the ocean under an endless sky, Manhattan's towers were barely visible beyond a broad expanse of waves. Only the highest buildings peaked above a silver of sand and a sea of green marsh. --From At Sea in the City
William Kornblum is a professor of sociology at the City University of New York. He is a graduate of Cornell University and the University of Chicago and was among the nation's first Peace Corps volunteers. He is the author of numerous scholarly books and articles on the people of New York. A native New Yorker, he's been sailing around the city his whole life.