The collection includes correspondence with a number of noted American and British writers of the 20th century. There is also correspondence with family, friends, editors and publishers. The collection also contains: manuscripts of Cabell's work dating primarily from 1900 through 1930, published reviews and criticisms of Cabell's work, a large collection of periodicals in which Cabell's essays, reviews and fiction were published, dramatic and musical interpretations of Cabell's work by others, newspaper clippings, photographs, periodicals, criticisms, printed material, and publishers' agreements and statements of sales, notebooks and scrapbooks compiled by Cabell documenting his early years as a writer.The papers dating from 1963-1971 of the Cabell Society and correspondence between its founders is included in the collection as well as materials concerning Between Friends: Letters of James Branch Cabell and Others which was published in 1962. Much of the material in Series I, II, III and VIII was taken from Cabell's personal library. Cabell placed letters, newspaper clippings, photographs, illustrations, typed and written revisions of his works and other memorabilia in his books. In the 1970s his library (some 3,000 volumes) was moved from his home on Monument Avenue to VCU's James Branch Cabell Library. A sizable portion of that material was laminated at the Barrow lab at the Virginia State Library, paid for by Margaret Freeman Cabell. Items taken from Cabell's library will have a Duke number written in pencil on it, indicating what volume the material was taken from. See James Branch Cabell's Library: A Catalogue by Jean Maurice Duke to determine from which book the item came.
