Collection of material documenting the work of David McDowell especially as it relates to author James Agee.

One portion of this collection houses material that David McDowell gathered for his unfinished biography of James Agee. This includes numerous examples of Agee's work, including some unpublished materials. Among these items are notes, poems, manuscripts about John Carter, two unpublished chapters of A Death in the Family, an issue of the Harvard Advocate containing one of Agee's early poems, and two screenplays. Also included are three notebooks that contain numerous diary entries and personal notes.

The other portion contains items showing McDowell's career in the publishing industry. While much of this material documents his considerable editorial and publishing pursuits, some show his work with Agee and his writings. As trustee for the James Agee Trust, McDowell frequently corresponded with Agee researchers and biographers as well as with the author's family and friends. Of particular interest is the extensive correspondence between McDowell and Father James H. Flye of St. Andrews School in Sewanee, Tennessee.