James became the television critic for "The Observer" in 1972, remaining in the role until 1982. Mark Lawson described a James review as "so funny it was dangerous to read while holding a hot drink". He was at times merciless. Selections from the column were published in three books – "Visions Before Midnight", "The Crystal Bucket" and "Glued to the Box" – and finally in a compendium, "On Television". He wrote literary criticism for newspapers, magazines and periodicals in Britain, Australia and the United States, including, among many others, the "Australian Book Review", "The Monthly", "The Atlantic", "The New York Review of Books", "The Liberal" and "The Times Literary Supplement". John Gross included James's essay "A Blizzard of Tiny Kisses" in the "Oxford Book of Essays" (1992, 1999).