Hamilton, Hamish

Hamish Hamilton, original name James Hamilton, (born Nov. 15, 1900, Indianapolis, Ind., U.S.—died May 24, 1988, London, Eng.), British publisher who published works by some of the most renowned authors in Britain, the United States, and France.

Hamilton studied modern languages and law at Caius College, Cambridge, and gained national attention as a champion oarsman in the Grand Challenge Cup (1927 and 1928) and at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. In 1926 he became London office manager of the New York-based publisher Harper & Brothers, a company that helped him establish Hamish Hamilton Ltd. in 1931. He was a hands-on publisher and lavished personal attention on his authors, including such Americans as James Thurber, John Gunther, Raymond Chandler, J.D. Salinger, and William Styron. He also published works by British authors Nancy Mitford, Cecil Woodham-Smith, and Angela Thirkell, as well as by French authors Albert Camus and Jean-Paul Sartre. In 1965 Hamilton sold the firm to Thomson Publications, but he remained the chairman until 1981.