The collection contains literary papers, including notebooks, manuscript and typescript drafts of sketches, novels and scripts; personal papers, including school and university work, notebooks, and ephemera; audio-visual material; and personal effects and artefacts, spanning from Douglas Adams's childhood to his death in 2001. In addition there is a quantity of press cuttings postdating his death. Media other than paper include sound recordings (chiefly reel-to-reel studio tapes; some cassettes); photographs, 35 mm transparencies and plastic negatives (a large quantity of photographic material is from 'Last Chance to See'); and digital backup tapes.