Papers include Kagan's correspondence, photographs, printed materials and audio tapes. All letters in the collection date from 1938-39, when he had moved his Petropolis operations to Brussels; there are items by Vladislav Khodasevich, Vladimir Nabokov, and Mikhail Osorgin, and others. Among the photographs are pictures of Ivan Bunin, Konstantin Fedin, and Evgeniĭ Zami︠a︡tin. Printed materials consist chiefly of books published by his firms; some of the books are inscribed, for example by Nikolaĭ Berdi︠a︡ev and Lev Karsavin. Included is a lengthy taped interview of Kagan by Marc Raeff in which Kagan discuses his life and publishing activities.

The papers include correspondence, manuscripts, and printed materials. Correspondence consists of letters from a number of important cultural figures in the emigration, including: Ivan Bunin, Zinaida Guppius, Aleksandr Kuprin, Pavel Mili︠u︡kov, Alekseĭ Remizov, Nadezhda Teffi, and Alekseĭ Tolstoĭ; there are also one or two letters each from Konstantin Balḿont, Dmitriĭ Merezhkovskiĭ, Ili︠́a︡ Repin, Fedor Shali︠a︡pin, and Marina T︠S︡vetaeva. There are manuscripts of several works by Shpoli︠a︡nskiĭ, including his memoirs, "Poezd na tretém puti" (New York, 1954).

Correspondence and manuscripts of Zaĭt︠s︡ev. This collection covers from the 1920's into the 1960's. There is correspondence from many other emigre writers. The largest groups of cataloged letters are by Mark Aldanov (105 items), Ivan Bunin (161), Archimandrite Kiprian (104), Alekseĭ Remizov (48), and Nadezhda Teffi (101). There are also items by Boris Bugaev (Andreĭ Belyĭ), Vi︠a︡cheslav Ivanov, Vladislav Khodasevich, Sergeĭ Lifaŕ and Boris Pasternak. Zaĭt︠s︡ev's manuscripts in the collection include some of his major works, such as "Puteshestvie Gleba" "Dom v Passi" "Zhizn ́Turgeneva" and "Zhukovskiĭ". In addition, the collection has a book and a pamphlet, both inscribed by Zaĭt︠s︡ev.

Besides correspondence, there are a few manuscripts, and also biographical information on many of the authors. Among the correspondents are Ivan Bunin, Vladimir Nabokov, Alekseĭ Remizov, Gleb Struve, and Boris Vysheslavt︠s︡ev.

The papers, which primarily concern Shmelev, consist of correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, and printed materials. The correspondence includes photocopies of letters from Petr Struve to Ivan Shmelev, and of letters from Shmelev to one Aleksandr Ivanovich. Manuscripts consist of Kutyrina's memoirs and essays about Shmelev; these draw heavily on correspondence of Shmelev, Ivan Bunin, Konstantin Balḿont, and Thomas Mann. Also included are Kutyrina's memoirs about the October 1917 Revolution in Moscow. Printed materials consist of books by Kutyrina's husband, the writer Ivan Novgorod-Severskiĭ.

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.

Correspondence, manuscripts, documents, photographs, organizational records, and accounts of the Soi︠u︡z Russkikh Pisateleĭ i Zhurnalistov v Parizhe (Union of Russian Writers and Journalists in Paris). The correspondence (ca. 1920-1951) primarily deals with organizational subsidies and events, and includes letters from such writers as Mark Aldanov, Ivan Bunin, Mikhail Fedorov, Mikhail Osorgin, Alekseĭ Remizov, Nadezhda Teffi, Marina T︠S︡vetaeva and Boris Zaĭt︠s︡ev (the president of the organization) among others. There are manuscripts by Vladimir Zeeler and Sofii︠a︡ Anichkova-Taube as well as photographs of several members of the organization. The financial records include receipts for subsidies and general financial statements covering the 1920-1950 period. The organizational records concern Union balls, publications, and other activities. There are also folders of miscellaneous notes and clippings.