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The Biographical series comprises four linear inches of materials and consists of biographical information, newspaper clippings, interviews, obituaries, journals, and photo-graphs. Newcomb's liberal political bent is evidenced by the clippings from the Bennington Banner which state his position on the Spanish Civil War. Such vocal liberalism incurred the unpleasant federal investigations of Newcomb's political activities during the McCarthy era; the transcripts of these investigations are preserved in this series. Given his later research into the impact of college on shaping attitudes, the journal Newcomb kept during his college years at Oberlin is of special interest to the biographer.

The Correspondence series runs to nearly one linear foot and contains four subseries. The first is arranged chronologically and contains both personal and professional materials for the years 1920 to 1963. The years 1936 through 1945 and 1956-1957 are best documented. The second subseries is arranged alphabetically under the name of the individual or organization and then chronologically; this subseries covers the years 1975 through 1983 best. Each of these subseries include incoming and outgoing mail with publishers, students, faculty, friends, family and colleagues. The third subseries contains four folders of family correspondence. This material is quite rich in what it reveals of the maturing Newcomb, as the letters to his father while he was at Oberlin are neatly balanced by letters from his son at Reed nearly forty years later. In each run the younger man finds his college-shaped attitudes distancing him from his father. The final subseries contains correspondence between Newcomb and his publishers during the last two decades of his career.