Handwritten drafts of The Great World, 140 pages on white four-ring notepaper and 31 pages on green notepaper, handwritten in blue ink and black biro, with many corrections and additions. Some pages have page numbers in top right-hand corner.

The file is comprised of: Early notes for dialogue, 2 leaves ; Letter to Richard Meale from Malouf, 1 leaf, 20 Jun 1979, with early dialogue notes on verso; Marked up copy of the Penguin Modern Classics 1960 published edition of Voss by Patrick White, sections of text marked in black pen, handwritten notes on last page and inside back cover.

Typescript draft of An Imaginary Life, 35 leaves (some leaves are double sided) with handwritten emendations in blue biro and pencil. Includes two drafts of the prologue. At the end of sections are handwritten numbers, possibly counting the number of words. On the final page is written 'Sydney Nov 1st 1976-Jan 7th 1977'. Accompanied by one handwritten note with ten sections and corresponding word numbers. Signed 'DM 8.3.86'.

One leaf, handwritten in blue ink, with notes by the author on the draft that accompanies it. Rewritten first draft of 'Birds' story, 21 numbered pages. According to the accompanying note: "Rewritten in Brisbane between March and early May 1981….contains the new material to be added, a second draft of the latter half of the book and notes made for background from a history of the 41st Battalion, Queensland".

Editorial material re: 12 Edmondstone Street
• Letter from Jeremy Lewis, Chatto & Windus to David Malouf, 20 Mar 1985, 1 page
• Editorial queries, 4 pages, typescript
• Revisions, 8 pages, typescript
• Insertions, 13 pages, photocopy of typescript

Correspondence, incoming, from 2000-2001:
2000 – 27 letters: Michael Berkeley (1); John Coetzee (14 Jan 2000); Nin Dutton (1); Nick Enright (1); Ihab Hassan (1); Cees Nooteboom (11 Jul 2000); David Rowbotham (2); Others (19).

2001 – 24 letters: Ihab Hassan (3); David Rowbotham (3); Jaya Savige (2); Others (16).

Correspondence, incoming, from the 1990s, undated:
1990s undated – 18 letters: Don Dunstan (1); Michael Ondaatje (1); Others (16).

Correspondence, incoming, from 1999:
1999 – 41 letters: Bille Brown (1); Carmen Callil (2); Dymphna Clark (2); Nick Enright (1); John Kinsella (1); Geoffrey Lehmann (1); David Rowbotham (5); Others (28).

Correspondence, incoming, from 1998:
1998 – 39 letters: Carmen Callil (11 Jul 1998); Ian Callinan (26 Nov 1998); Dymphna Clark (7 Feb, 9 Aug 1998); Don Dunstan and Steven Cheng (1); Geoffrey Dutton (9 Sep 1998 – eight days before his death); Nin Dutton (10 Sep, 26 Sep 1998); Margaret Olley (21 Dec 1998 – enclosing a photograph of Malouf and unknown); David Rowbotham (14 Dec 1998); Lurline Stuart (27 Sep 1998 – ten days after Geoffrey Dutton’s death); Others (27).

Correspondence, incoming, from 1997:
1997 – 31 letters: Dymphna Clark (1); Margaret Olley (31 Jan - enclosing a photograph of Malouf and Philip Bacon); Others (29)