Angus Cameron, 93; Book Editor Targeted in McCarthy Era

Angus Cameron, 93, who was the editor in chief of the Little, Brown publishing company until his leftist views forced his resignation during the communist-hunting 1950s, died Nov. 18 in Charlottesville, Va. The cause of death was not disclosed.

Cameron, who joined the publishing house in 1938, was known for his astute understanding of public taste and writers’ creativity. His authors, who included J.D. Salinger and Lillian Hellman, won Bancroft, Francis Parkman and Pulitzer prizes.

He resigned his post in 1951, when Little, Brown asked him to cease his involvement in leftist organizations.

For a brief time he rejected urban life and lived with his family in the Adirondacks. His wilderness adventures included catching whitefish and selling them to Eskimos with the help of an Alaskan bush pilot.

In 1952 he started a publishing house with a partner, Albert E. Kahn. They published “False Witness” by Harvey Matusow, a paid informer who confessed to having falsely accused 200 people of having communist ties.

In 1959 he was hired by Alfred A. Knopf as an editor. During his years there he collaborated with editor Judith Jones on “The L.L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook,” published in 1983.