The letters, manuscripts, and business papers that make up the collection offer valuable insights into Norman Douglas as an author and a friend. They chronicle the last years of his writing career, discussing his business dealings, research, travels and thoughts on other authors. His sense of humor, love of life, and attention to detail are apparent in many of the letters contained in the collection. However, several sections of his letters are bitter, as he complains about the pains of aging, the state of his finances, the plight of Italy during World War II, and post-war problems. He also provides subtle political commentary with snide jokes about Hitler and condemnations of the Fascist Party.

The collection is made up of 6 series: Manuscripts, Correspondence to Albert Parsons Sachs, Correspondence to Others, Business Papers, Correspondence Concerning Norman Douglas, and Items about the Collection. The collection consists of 102 items dating from 1921 to 1970. It includes five manuscripts; ninety letters of Douglas; business papers; three letters about Douglas; and two letters about the collection. All items are arranged chronologically within the subsection, with the earliest date appearing first.

The five manuscripts are holograph excerpts, and proofs with holograph corrections dating from 1921 to 1931. The bulk of the collection consists of the eighty letters that were written to Albert Parsons Sachs, a retired chemist and bibliophile. Those letters were written between 1928 and 1951, with the major portion sent between 1928 and 1932. In his letters to Sachs, Douglas discusses his travels, health, and his books, of which Sachs is a collector. Occasionally he comments on the political climate in Italy, particularly his feelings about Hitler. Douglas also comments on other authors, including D. H. Lawrence, H. L. Mencken, and George Bernard Shaw. There are ten letters dating from 1924 to 1931 to other correspondents, including Douglas's publisher, Martin Secker, and Hugh Walpole.

Also included in the collection are Douglas's business papers: a ledger of recorded sales of "Experiments," and seven canceled checks from Sachs to Douglas dating from 1927 to 1930. There are three letters concerning Douglas dated 1930: two letters of Giuseppe (Pino) Orioli to Sachs, and the letter of Sachs to an editor at Simon and Schuster. The two letters of Philip C. Duschnes to LaFayette Butler about the collection are dated 1960 and 1970, respectively.

The majority of Douglas's letters are handwritten on watermarked paper bearing the printed inside address: c/o THOMAS COOK, VIA TORNABUONI, FLORENCE.