The essays and lectures series is a small collection of published or handwritten documents amassed by the Society. The first essay (file 4.5), submitted by Thomas Stratton, is a handwritten document on the similarities of Gaelic and Latin. The second document (file 10.6) is the transcription of a lecture delivered by Major R. Lachlan on the progress of the Society to 1852.

The last document (file 10.7) is a copy of an essay which was awarded The Prize Medal of the Society for the Encouragement of Arts and Sciences in Canada.

The series consists primarily of incoming correspondence to various administrative units of the Natural History Society. This includes letters to the Recording Secretary, the Corresponding Secretary, the Chairman, the Librarian (dealing largely with book binding costs), the Chairman, the Editor of the Canadian Record of Science (primarily acknowledging receipt of the journal), and the Museum Curator. While most of the series consists of loose documents, it also contains two “Letter Books,” which have indexes of whom letters were sent by or to. These letters are highly administrative in nature, dealing with the daily operations of the Society and not the personal correspondence of its members.

The letters have substantial gaps between 1872-1878, 1881-1884, and in 1895. Many of the loose letters were donated to the Blacker-Wood Collection bundled together and they have been preserved together. However, many of the other loose letters were sorted by year by the archivist or librarian who originally processed them.

Notable Natural History Society members and other prominent people in these files include:
J.F. Whiteaves (non-member)
The Governor General of Canada (non-member)
David R. McCord (non-member)
Sir John William Dawson, as President
Professor David P. Penhallow, as Committee Chairman
Charles Robb, Librarian
E. J. Chambers, Librarian
R. Lachlan, Secretary

The substantial catalogues series covers most of the inventory of both the Society’s museum and library. Museum catalogues provide detailed information regarding the genus, species and origin of their Mammalia Collection while catalogues of donations to the museum also point to interesting objects in their collection. Library catalogues list publications in the Society’s holdings. The series also provides important lists related to the Journals of Assembly and to the visitors of the museum.

The administrative records series contains documents that reflect the structure and mandate of the Society, such as their constitution, acts, by-laws, yearly agenda, bookings, and membership lists. Summaries of meetings provide information of the NHSM’s interactions with other societies, notably the Horticultural Society, and also includes correspondence with society members, lists of addresses. An obituary of Society Librarian Charles Robb and an example of a membership certificate belonging to J. H. Joseph may also be found.

The accounting series consists of three account books detailing different financial dealings and assets of the Natural History Society of Montreal. The accounting details are varied, one being the treasurer’s ledger of income and expenses kept by Treasurers James Ferrier Jr. and E. E. Shelton (file 13.7); another showing closing account balances for 1905, 1914, 1915, and 1916 and sales clippings for properties: 52 University Street Property, 152 & 154 Drummond Street Property, and the 365 Mountain Street Property Diagram of the property of the Natural History Society (file 15.1); lastly an address book shows an alphabetical list of assets and their value, as well as a note in the front tracking “Field Day” surpluses and deficits from 1882-1890 (file 16.3).

Series consists of reviews of Edel's books on Henry James.

Series contains clippings and off-prints by various writers

Series consists of various research files created by Edel in the course of his work on Henry James. The majority of files are copies of original sources, such as the diaries of Theodora Bosquanet, James's amanuensis. Includes numerous off-prints related to James's various novels, Edel's notes on James's letters and correspondents, and ephemera such as book jackets and drafts. Many notes, drafts, and miscellany relate to Edith Wharton and Percy Lubbock.

Series contains duplicates of correspondence.

Series consists of chiefly of notebooks of transcriptions of letters from Henry James and Edel's notes, based on thousands of James letters that Edel located and consulted during many decades of research. Bulk of transcriptions are from letters dating between 1865 and 1916. Also contains some copies of letters James family correspondence and copies of letters from James Russell Lowell to James.