The collection consists of a ledger kept near the port of Norfolk, Virginia from 1796 documenting accounts for building ships. The first twenty pages are loose and contain handwritten accounts for customers in Norfolk including Pennock, Hamilton, Crawford, and Leckie in addition to blacksmiths, captains, sail makers, and block makers. The pages are approximately 16 inches x 12.5 inches and saddle-stiched along the middle. The rest of the ledger contains clippings from literary publications, such as fiction, anecdotes and poems, that date from the 19th century and have been placed on top of the ledger. The page numbers and accounts are still visible on pages where the clippings are absent. A bookplate for William Whiting, which was found inside the ledger, is also included.