Correspondence, manuscripts, documents, photographs, and printed materials of Surguchev. The papers almost exclusively concern Surguchev's life in emigration; he lived in France from the 1920s onward. Correspondents include Ivan Bunin, Nikolaĭ Evreĭnov, Aleksandr Kuprin, and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. There are manuscripts of plays, stories, and film scenarios by Surguchev in Russian, French, and English. Documents include literary contracts, and one contract signed by Sergeĭ Lifar ́concerning a film scenario by Surguchev and Ivan Lukash. There are photographs of Surguchev and of scenes from his plays, and a subject file on the Russian Chamber Theater (Kamernyĭ Teatr) in Prague, 1922-23. Among the printed materials are many clippings of pieces by Surguchev, and his play "Igra" and pamphlet "Bolśheviki v Stavropole."

The collection consists of correspondence, manuscripts, documents, a photograph, and printed material, primarily from the period 1941-1957. Included are letters from Ivan Bunin, Marc Chagall, Mikhail Karpovich, Vasiliĭ Maklakov, W. Somerset Maugham, Vladimir Nabokov, Ili︠́a︡ Repin, Edmund Wilson, Boris Zaĭt︠s︡ev and many others. Manuscripts of his works include "Istoki""Nachalo kont︠s︡a""Zhivi, kak khochesh"́, and "The Escape" (English translation of "Begstvo"), such shorter tales as "Noch ́v terminale""Povest ́o smerti", and "Ulḿskai︠a︡ noch"́, as well as numerous articles, book reviews and essays. There are financial records for "Novyĭ Zhurnal", which Aldanov helped found, and the clippings are mainly articles about Aldanov. There is one late photograph of Aldanov.

Vladimir Feofilovich Zeeler (Владимир Феофилович Зеелер; 1874-1954) was a Russian lawyer, state official and political activist; the Interior Minister in the South Russian Government; a pivotal figure of the Russian emigration; and a journalist, editor, memoirist and philanthropist. The collection includes correspondence, manuscripts, and photographs of many prominent cultural figures in the Russian emigration. A sizable part of the collection also concerns the painter Il'ia Repin (1844-1930).