The collection includes personal and business correspondence, cuttings, notes, diaries, photographs, notebooks and reviews of some of McQueen's books. There are also research material, drafts and typescripts relating to 'A new Britannia' (1975), 'Social sketches of Australia, 1888-1975' (1978), 'The black swan of trespass' (1979), 'Gone tomorrow' (1982), 'Social sketches' (1991), 'Tokyo world' (1991), 'Japan to the rescue' (1991), 'Tom Roberts' (1996), 'Suspect history' (1997), 'Temper democratic' (1998) and 'The essence of capitalism' (2002). The collection also includes papers relating McQueen's activities as a visiting lecturer and to the 1998 exhibition and conference 'Typically? Australian' at the Brisbane City Gallery. The major correspondents include Neil Beckhaus, Ruth Blair, Clem Christesen, Peter Curtis, Jenny Darling (McQueen's agent), Tom Fitzgerald, Dorothy Green, Nick Jose, Joan Kerr, Henry Mayer, Brian Laver, Kathy Lette, Caroline Lurie, Stephen McDonald, Ben McGuire, Judy McQueen, Nicholas Pounder, Graham Rowlands and Walter Struve.The subjects of the correspondence includes McQueen's work as a freelance writer/book reviewer/art critic and independent scholar, his travels, comments on politics, operas, concerts, art exhibitions, books he read and personal news.
