James created two formal records of his life: an incomplete autobiography and approximately 95 cm of personal diaries for the years 1936-1962. From 1939 onwards, his diary is also a running office record of his activities as Principal. James' personal notes are handwritten, but the office copy was typed by his secretary, Dorothy McMurray. While working on his autobiography following his retirement, James interfiled the two. Apart from descriptions of his activities and reflections, the James diaries contain minutes,
memoranda, letters, essays on countries visited by James, speeches and poetry. There is a separate series of pocket appointment diaries from 1919 to 1972, and gardening diaries from 1949-1959 and 1963-1969.

Juvenalia and student materials consist of two albums (1905 and 1907) of postcards; a schoolboy commonplace-book of extracts, news clippings and reflexions on religious topics (possibly digests of sermons); six volumes of secondary school notes on economic history; approximately 24 cm of examination papers, essays and notes from James' London School of Economics days; and notes for a course on the Law of Prize from the University of Pennsylvania (1925). Three volumes of personal scrapbooks cover the period 1917-1939: the first (1919-1931) includes school and university reports of standing, while the remaining two consist of newspaper articles by and about James, invitations, letters concerning his speeches and publications, and telegrams and correspondence concerning James' appointment to the School of
Commerce at McGill.

Private financial records include two volumes of day-books (1952-1954), two ledgers (1962-1970), bank statements (1937-1962), correspondence concerning investments, pensions etc. (1941-1969), and papers relating to his real estate in England.

The Type of Building series includes progress and "as finished" photographs of buildings constructed by Canada Cement. Usually there will be several photos (often as many as 20) showing the various phases of the project, both in details and in full. The projects include airports, churches, concrete masonry, homes, prestressed materials, and stadiums. Structures were built in most areas of Canada. Many of the projects, such as dams, include distance and aerial views. The majority of photos in this series appear to date from 1940 to 1980, although there are many from ca. 1915 to 1940. Nearly all photos are identified on the back or on the envelope containing them. Negatives and information sheets about the building are sometimes included. Occasionally there is correspondence, mainly of the Publicity and Sales Department of Canada Cement. (This series was called the "Old Photo" series by Company administration).

This series was originally filed by Mappin almost completely alphabetically by author, topic, or publisher/publication name. The textual material is essentially Mappin’s private antiquarian book collection and contains such items as early printed booklets, pamphlets, broadside sheets, clippings and handwritten notes. The graphic materials in this series are commercial ephemera consisting of receipts, letterheads, and telegraphs, and include some trade and political posters. Sound recordings include 45 rpm recordings of Joël Denis’s song Vas-Y-Cardinal and a speech by Quebec pliticain Jean-Guy Cardinal
The collection is almost entirely Canadiana focused, some of the more prominent file titles include: Bernard Amtmann, Imperial Federation, L'affaire Guibord, Richler, Mappin / Holden Affair, Lionel Groulx, Ignace Bourget, Henri Bourassa, Lawrence Lande, George Étienne Cartier, William Lyon Mackenzie King, the Eastern Townships and Montreal History.

This series contains of Cushing's typewritten drafts of chapters from his book, The Life of Sir William Osler. The series is arranged into files corresponding to chapter divisions.

Series consists of research materials, manuscripts, galley proofs, correspondence, photographs, book reviews, and other records related to the preparation and publication of Witold Rynczynski's many books on architecture. It also includes records related to public lectures given by Rybczynski (File 43) and Rynbczynski's author photos (File 47), as well as assorted essays: Public Interest, Wilson Quarterly, Places, New Yorker, Doubletake (File 57).

The publications found in this series include:

• Stop the Fecal Peril (1977) with Polprasert & McGarry, IDRC/World Bank, Annotated Bibliography: Manuscript & bound draft (File 50)

• Paper Heroes: Appropriate Technology, Panacea or Pipedream? (1980): Research materials (File 01), Manuscript & Galleys (File 02), Correspondence (File 59), Bound book (File 63)

• Taming the Tiger: The Struggle to Control Technology (1983): Manuscript (File 03), Correspondence (File 59), Bound book (File 63)

• Home: A Short History of an Idea (1986): Research materials (File 4), Reviews (File 5), Manuscript & galleys (File 6), Interviews &, Reviews (File 58), Correspondence (File 59), Bound book (File 63)

• The Most Beautiful House in the World (1989): Manuscript (File 7), Bound uncorrected proof (File 9), Interviews & Reviews (File 58), Bound book (File 63)

• Waiting for the Weekend (1991): Galleys and manuscript (File 10), Bound uncorrected proof (File 9), Manuscript (File 48), Interviews & Reviews (File 58), Bound book (File 60)

• Looking Around: A Journey Through Architecture (1992): Manuscript (File 12), Manuscript (File 48), Bound uncorrected proof (File 9), Interviews & Reviews (File 58), Bound book (File 60)

• A Place for Art: The Architecture of the National Gallery of Canada (1993): Bound book (File 61)

• City Life: Urban Expectations in a New World (1995): Manuscript (File 2), Bound uncorrected proof (File 9), Bound book (File 63)

• A Clearing in the Distance: Frederick Law Olmsted and America in the Nineteenth Century (1999): Research materials (Filees 13, 14, 15, 16 & 17), Reviews and illustrations (File 19), Field trip photographs (File 18), Bound book (File 62)

• One Good Turn: A Natural History of the Screwdriver and the Screw (2000): Research materials (Files 20 & 21), Bound uncorrected proof (File 9), Bound book (File 62)

• The Look of Architecture (2001): Manuscript & Galleys (File 2), Interviews & Reviews (File 58), Bound book (File 62)

• The Perfect House: A Journey with the Renaissance Master Andrea Palladio (2002), Research materials, field notes (Files 22 & 23), Manuscripts and galleys (Files 24 & 56), Bound uncorrected proof (File 9), Field trip photographs (File 49), Bound book (File 63)

• Vizcaya: An American Villa and Its Makers (2006): Bound book (File 61)

• Last Harvest: How a Cornfield became New Daleville: Real Estate Development in America from George Washington to the Builders of the Twenty-First Century, and Why We Live in Houses Anyway (2007): Manuscript (Files 25, 26, 27, 55 & 8), Bound uncorrected proof (File 9), Research materials, interviews, field notes, chapter by chapter (Files 28 & 29), Bound book (File 63)

• My Two Polish Grandfathers: And Other Essays on the Imaginative Life (2009): Research materials (File 31), Bound uncorrected proof (File 9), Manuscript, interviews, letters (9 digital files, 674 ps))

• Makeshift Metropolis: Ideas About Cities (2010): Bound uncorrected proof (File 9), Manuscript, research materials (6 digital files, 179 ps), Bound book (File 62)

• The Biography of a Building: How Robert Sainsbury and Norman Foster Built a Great Museum (2011): Research materials, interviews, articles. (File 32, 33, 34 & 35), Manuscript, interviews, letters (122 digital files, 2,167 ps)

• How Architecture Works: A Humanist’s Toolkit (2013): Manuscripts, 5 versions (Files 36 & 37), Bound uncorrected proof (File 09), Manuscript, interviews, letters (53 digital files, 976 ps)

• Mysteries of the Mall: and Other Essays (2015): Bound uncorrected proof (File 9), Manuscript, interviews, letters (11 digital files, 348 ps), Bound book (Box 61)

• Now I Sit Me Down: From Klismos to Plastic Chair: A Natural History (2016): Manuscripts, 5 consecutive versions (File 38), Bound uncorrected proof (File 09), Manuscript, interviews, letters (40 digital files, 1,075 ps), Bound book (File 61)

• Miscellaneous reviews & articles (Files 39, 40, 41, 42 & 11): Interviews, Reviews, Home, Waiting for the Weekend, The Most, - Beautiful House in the World, Looking Around, Look of Architecture (File 58)

The series consists of manuscripts, including whole and selected sections of works that were eventually published or intended for publication. It contains first drafts, revised, edited and annotated drafts of After Manto (Container 1, Files 1-14 and 17-25; Container 2, Files 1-4 and 10), Permanent Siege (Container 1, Files 5, 15, 16, and 22; Container 2, File 1), Passage to Lahore (Container 2, Files 5-9), Architecture, Beliefs & Monuments, The Raft of the Medusa, and Fato the European Miser (Container 2, File 15), as well as various others. Drafts of screenplays for The Entanglement (Container 3, Files 1, 2, 4-27; Container 5, File 1) and Persona Non (Container 5, Files 2-4) are in the series as well. Most drafts are organized in folders by work.

Correspondence from Robert C. Parsons to his wife, Peggy Parsons, living in Vancouver. Also includes 6 letters from Peggy to Robert. Contents of the letters chiefly concern news from home, daily life as a soldier, thanks for care packages, and thoughts of one another. The letters are very affectionate and often erotic.

Series 1 contains biographical information; photos of Harold Spence-Sales and family-friends at events as well as genealogy projects. Series 1 also holds a plethora of materials about Spence-Sales death as well as legal documentation. Series 1 also contains materials that relate to Harold Spence-Sales personal interests, primarily his art interests. Series 1 is full of handmade drawings ‘paintings, photographs of sculptures, art pieces and exhibits-exhibitions. The series highlights Spence-sales interest in ancient mythology-culture as well as modern art, nature and natural formations. A lot of the photographs in the series focuses on art projects that Harold Spence-Sales created and displayed at his home. Series 1 also contains correspondence between Harold Spence-Sales, his friends, family and colleagues. Series 1 also holds some personal artifacts of Spence-Sales: Professional stamps, personal flag, certificates etc. Series 1 contains, a variety of textual records, photographs, artifacts, DVD’s, VHS-cassette tapes, images and printouts of art.

This series incorporates the activities and functions of the University Club of Montreal at the administrative level. Included in this series are correspondences, event flyers, newsletters, memos, notices, reciprocal club membership invitations and agreements, newspaper clippings, club events and ceremonies, guest registers, internal club organizational documents, room booking schedules, illustrations, photographs, objects such as stamps, medal ribbons, and a map.