The collection consists of writings, correspondence, personal and business papers, scrapbooks, clippings, and audiovisual materials documenting Harold Nicolson's life and career as a diplomat and author. The papers include drafts and correspondence relating to his biography, King George the Fifth: His Life and Reign (London: Constable, 1952). Correspondence documents his work as both a diplomat and an author, including letters from members of the royal family, members of English literary society, the Foreign Office, civil servant Sir Alan Lascelles (who served as Assistant Private Secretary to George V, among other roles), and his wife Vita Sackville-West. Scrapbooks consist mostly of clippings related to Nicolson.