Point of Departure (Classics of Reportage S.) [Paperback]

James Cameron (Author), Andrew Marr (Foreword)

Book Description

Series: Classics of Reportage S. | Publication Date: April 1, 2007

A classic 1967 memoir by one of the great journalists of the 20th century, Point of Departure collects James Cameron's eyewitness accounts of the atom bomb tests at Bikini atoll, the Chinese invasion of Tibet and the war in Korea, and vivid evocations of Mao Tse-Tung, Winston Churchill, and many others. Cameron, who was born in London in 1911, began his career in newspapers as a foreign correspondent; later, his television documentaries for the BBC and his column in The Guardian gave him a new audience in Britain and abroad. In the 1960s, Cameron was presented with the Granada Award for Foreign Correspondent of the Decade. He died in 1985.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"'A brilliant collection of anecdote and reportage from a supreme master of the craft' Daily Mail 'For even his most accomplished professional rivals curiosity has meant everything-for him compassion has always meant more' Observer 'Cameron had a unique combination of moral seriousness, humour, and literary talent' Martin Woollacott"

About the Author

James Cameron was born in London in 1911. He started his career as a journalist in Scotland before travelling the world as a foreign correspondent for a number of newspapers. He was presented with the Granada Award for Foreign Correspondent of the Decade in the 1960s. He died in 1985.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Granta UK (April 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1862078246
• ISBN-13: 978-1862078246
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #858,907 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dashing, slashing, slapdash foreign correspondent, April 26, 2005

By 

James Ashley Shea - See all my reviews

This review is from: Point of Departure (Hardcover)

I can't forget 1967; it was one of the great years. I'm rereading a powerful and valuable book written in 1967, so I did a dogpile search for "James Cameron + Point of Departure" and got a website with a Studs Terkel interview in which he said this:

"Have I mentioned the name of James Cameron? Some people ask me who is the writer I most admire. I can tell you the journalist I most admire. He was an Englishman named James Cameron. Not the James Cameron who directed "Titanic" - a wholly different animal."

Wow, the great Studs Terkel likes the author I'm reading and enjoying! Terkel goes on to say:

"I suggest you find a book called Point Of Departure by James Cameron. It's available somewhere in paperback. It's one of the best pieces of writing that you've ever read anywhere. It's sort of memoiristic, through essays from different places he's been in the world. I met him when he first returned from North Vietnam. He was the first Western journalist to visit and speak with Ho Chi Minh during the bombings there - the very first. Of course Ho Chi Minh knew him, they all knew Cameron. His stories are wonderful. They're funny and they're brilliant, and incisive."

Yep, the very book I'm reading. And if you have even the slightest interest in adventure or the life of a foreign correspondent, if you are fascinated by war, if you hate war, or if you believe that everyone is entitled to the pursuit of happiness, I would tell you to read this book that I was lucky to find in the Soi 6 Library in Pattaya, Thailand.