Drafts, correspondence, research notes, and photographs for novels, screenplays and a short story written by Trevor Shearston. There are drafts for his radio documentary feature 'The New Guinea letters of John Green', aired in 1984. The screenplay for 'Snowdrop' (later filmed as 'Envy') had various working titles. Sticks that kill was initially preceded by a stage play call "Goaribari". A straight young back had the working titles of "The old magic touch" and the "Walk novel".

Arranged into Series :
Series A: Something in the blood [short story collection] (1979)
Series B: Sticks that kill [novel] (1983)
Series C: White lies [novel] (1986)
Series D: Correspondence with University of Queensland Press
Series E: A straight young back [novel] (2000)
Series F: Drafts for 'Walk novel'and 'The old magic touch' (A straight young back [novel])
Series G: Tinder [novel] (2002)
Series H: Dead birds [novel] (2007)
Series I: Concertinas [novel] (1988)
Series J: Snowdrop [screenplay] - filmed as Envy [motion picture] (1999)
Series K: New Guinea letters of John Green [radio documentary] (1984)
Series L: Short stories and dramatic works, published and unpublished, 1966 to 1995
Series M: Research files on Papua New Guinea
Series N: Game [screenplay]
Series O: Game [novel] (2013)
Series P: Photographs for Game [screenplay]
Series Q: Ben Hall realia

Shearston first conceived of Game as a screenplay in the mid-1990s. He notes that “it failed to find production money. The first prose version was a novel for young adults. In subsequent drafts it became a novel for adults”. The novel, published by Allen & Unwin, tells the story of the last days in the life of bushranger Ben Hall. Hall wants to quit the game of bushranging and to get to know his son, Harry, who lives with his wife Biddy and Jack Turner, the man she left him for. The novel was longlisted for the 2014 Miles Franklin Award, shortlisted for the 2014 Christina Stead Award for Fiction 2013, shortlisted for the NSW Premier’s Awards 2014 and shortlisted for the 2013 Colin Roderick Award.

Shearston first conceived of 'Game' as a screenplay in the mid-1990s. He notes that “it failed to find production money”. This series includes typescripts, research material relating to the screenplay 'Game' (never produced). It is based on the last days of legendary bushranger Ben Hall.

This series contains drafts, notes, research material, and correspondence. Dead birds, published by ABC Books in 2007, is set in the early days of exploration around Papua New Guinea. It is based on the 1877 journal of Italian naturalist, collector and explorer Luigi d'Albertis and his crew as they travel by boat up the Fly River in the steam launch 'Neva' collecting birds of paradise, ethnographic artifacts and undiscovered specimens. A New Guinean tribesman is killed by Albertis' crew and his head preserved in a specimen bottle. The story, narrated by the head in a jar, is a story of race relations. Included in this series are notes, research material, and drafts.

This series contains drafts, notes, newspaper cuttings, research material and correspondence. Tinder [novel], published by Scribner in 2002, had several working titles: 'The fire lovers', 'Fire in the hand', and 'Zippo : a cautionary tale'. Set in Katoomba and narrated by the central character, Graham, it follows his sexual awakening.

This series contains drafts and notes. The screenplay for Snowdrop, with the working title of 'Little black dress', was not commissioned. Sheartson wrote it and it was taken up by Julie Money and Michael Cook. After disagreements between Shearston and Adelphi Films, the screenplay rights were bought by Julie Money and Michael Cook with Jeff Truman as the final writer of what became the film Envy. This film is also know as The new girlfriend. This series includes drafts of the various working titles, correspondence, and reviews.

This series contains drafts, notes, photographs and research material. A straight young back is narrated in the first person by David Apps, a cadet government officer who arrives in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea in 1963. Apps works for Hal Franklin, a District Commissioner. As the country moves towards self-government and independence, Apps is slowly corrupted by the power of ruling. Based on true story of the assassination in August 1971 of Jack Emanuel, District Commissioner. Emanuel was murdered deep in the the forest on a Rabaul plantation. The working titles for the novel were 'The old magic touch' and the 'Walk novel'.

This series mostly consists of correspondence between Shearston and University of Queensland Press (UQP) during his time with them, from 1977 to 1998. Included are the memorandum of agreements for his first three works of fiction published with UQP.

Photographs (b&w and colour) taken during location scouting trips for the filming of 'Game' in 1995 and 1997.

This series contains drafts and notes. A straight young back had the working titles 'The old magic touch' and the 'Walk novel'.