Bookshelf

Alumni and faculty members who would like to have their books considered for this listing should contact Stacey Himmelberger, editor of Hamilton magazine. This list, which dates back to 2018, is updated periodically with books appearing alphabetically on the date of entry.

The River Quickens by Bill Poole ’59

November 13, 2025

Tags Alumni Book

(Wheatmark, 2021).

The author acknowledges that he draws on all his experiences when he writes — including his time at Hamilton. As the publisher notes: “Set in the year 2000, yet nostalgically focused on a simpler time of all-male student bodies and simpler rules of conduct, The River Quickens is a witty and charming romp through the peccadilloes, egos, and shenanigans of life in a small college town in upstate New York. As the 21st century encroaches on Talcot College, whether through virtual education, the hacking of admissions records, or even a secret lottery bonanza, the denizens of Talcot College and its surrounding village fumble and bumble to a Wagnerian and almost triumphant resolution of differences.”

One reviewer commented, “Humans are complex and complicated even when they are being ridiculous, as this book shows. Old school — no pun intended — and at times even silly, this is a fun book to read. … A good portrait of a certain class of people, at a moment in time that thankfully is over but whose roots are so firmly embedded in the daily life of Americans.”