4.5
The Bottom of the Harbor
ByPublisher Description
On the centennial of Joseph Mitchell's birth, here is a new edition of the classic collection containing his most celebrated pieces about New York City. Fifty years after its original publication, The Bottom of the Harbor is still considered a fundamental New York book. Every story Mitchell tells, every person he introduces, every scene he describes is illuminated by his passion for the eccentrics and eccentricities of his beloved adopted city.
All of the pieces here are connected in one way or another--some directly, some with a kind of mysterious circuitousness--to New York's fabled waterfront, the terrain that Mitchell brilliantly made his own. They tell of a life that has passed--of vacant hotel rooms, deserted communities, once-thriving fishing areas that are now polluted and studded with wrecks. Included are "Up in the Old Hotel," a portrait of Louis Morino, the proprietor of a restaurant called (to his disgust) Sloppy Louie's; "The Rats on the Waterfront," which has inspired countless writers to attempt portraits of these most demonized New Yorkers; and "Mr. Hunter's Grave," widely considered to be the finest single piece of nonfiction to have ever appeared in the pages of The New Yorker.
Here is the essential work of a legendary writer.
All of the pieces here are connected in one way or another--some directly, some with a kind of mysterious circuitousness--to New York's fabled waterfront, the terrain that Mitchell brilliantly made his own. They tell of a life that has passed--of vacant hotel rooms, deserted communities, once-thriving fishing areas that are now polluted and studded with wrecks. Included are "Up in the Old Hotel," a portrait of Louis Morino, the proprietor of a restaurant called (to his disgust) Sloppy Louie's; "The Rats on the Waterfront," which has inspired countless writers to attempt portraits of these most demonized New Yorkers; and "Mr. Hunter's Grave," widely considered to be the finest single piece of nonfiction to have ever appeared in the pages of The New Yorker.
Here is the essential work of a legendary writer.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Bottom of the Harbor Reviews
4.5
“The Bottom of the Harbor by Joseph Mitchell is a collection of essays that paints a vivid portrait of New York City’s waterfront and its people during the mid-20th century. Through detailed and lyrical prose, Mitchell captures the sights, sounds, and stories of the harbor, from fishermen and oystermen to longshoremen and the changing urban landscape. The essays evoke a sense of nostalgia for a bygone era, offering a rich glimpse into the lives of the people who worked and thrived by the water.
The Bottom of the Harbor transported me to a time and place we can’t travel back to, but Joseph Mitchell’s writing made the experience feel real and tangible. His visual and beautiful descriptions of the harbor brought the past to life, allowing me to see the beauty and the grit of the waterfront. It was a captivating read that made me appreciate the harbor’s history and the stories of the people who lived there.”
About Joseph Mitchell
Joseph Mitchell came to New York from North Carolina the day after the 1929 stock market crash. After eight years as a reporter and feature writer at various newspapers, he joined the staff of The New Yorker, where he remained until his death in 1996 at the age of eighty-seven. His other books include McSorley's Wonderful Saloon, My Ears Are Bent, Up in the Old Hotel, Old Mr. Flood, and Joe Gould's Secret.
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