Research materials, notes and drafts of Owens' book, Fever in the Earth, published in 1958, Early drafts of the book were titled No Toil No Death No Danger. Also an unedited-uncut manuscript of Fever in the Earth, typescript, notes and revisions, and galley proofs.

Papers relating to Pocantico Hills 1609-1959, published in 1960.

Papers relating to Look to the River, published in 1963, including book reviews, notes, early typescripts, complete manuscripts, and the screenplay.

Information relating to This Stubborn Soil (1966), including the contract between Owens and Charles Schribner's Sons, advertisements, and book reviews. Also includes "We Had Us Some Christmas", an excerpt published in the Ladies Home Journal - December 1966, and the First draft. Copies of a typescript and early draft, cuttings from the manuscript, a photostatic copy of the typescript, and page proofs.

Papers relating to Three Friends: Bedichek, Dobie, Webb (1969). Contains background information, retyped letters of Bedichek, Dobie, and Webb including editor's notes, book reviews, manuscript copies, typescripts, galleys and proofs.

Tales From the Derrick Floor (1970) co-authored by Owens and Mody Boatright. Includes notes, reviews, and interviews with early oil pioneers. Edited interviews and final draft (copy edited), page proofs, and final galley proof of Tales From the Derrick Floor.

Papers relating to A Season of Weathering (1973) including background material, book reviews, First, Second, Third, and unidentified drafts, a copy edited typescript.

Papers relating to Impressions of the Big Thicket (1973) with text by Owens and paintings by Michael Frary including background material, book reviews, typescripts, and manuscripts.

Papers relating to A Fair and Happy Land (1975) including background material and Owens' research on the Cleaver and Bragg families, and book reviews. Notes and early typescripts of sections of A Fair and Happy Land. , as well as a first, second and thirddrafts, edited manuscript with layouts, photocopies of manuscripts with revisions. Also includes two books of page proofs.

Articles, short stories, and book reviews, and speeches by Owens.

Material concerning Owens including personal information, publications and programs regarding Columbia University and lectures by Owens, and newspaper articles.

Contains photographs of Owens, photographs relating to Owens' books, and miscellaneous photographs.

Miscellaneous material - articles and short stories by other authors. Miscellaneous literary publications, magazines, and college publications, and other material collected by Owens

Instantaneous recording disks and access CDs now in "William A. Owens Papers - Folk Song Collection: Instantaneous Disks"

Correspondence dealing with publication arrangements of Owens' books and short stories, Texas Folk Songs, and Slave Mutiny. Correspondence dealing with Walking on Borrowed Land, Owens' work on the Oral History of Texas Oil Pioneers and Walter B. Sharp's biography, Fever in the Earth, Pocantico Hills, Look to the River, and This Stubborn Soil. Correspondence dealing with Black Mutiny, Three Friends: Bedichek, Dobie, Webb, Tales From the Derrick Floor, A Season of Weathering, and A Fair and Happy Land.

Papers relating to Texas Folk Songs(1950) including background material and notes, book reviews and promotional material, Owens' doctoral dissertation for the State University of Iowa, galley proofs, lyrics of folksongs and an incomplete manuscript, early drafts of music and lyrics, photocopies of songs of Rod Drake with comments, lyrics, and music staffs, and a ribbon copy and photocopy of Rod Drake's Songs by William A. Owens. Manuscripts of Texas Folk Songs, by William A. Owens, published in 1950 by The Texas Folklore Society. Also first and third drafts, and page proofs of the revised and enlarged edition of Texas Folk Songs, published in 1976, with musical transcriptions by Jessie Ann Owens. Contains a complete unedited copy of Texas Folk Songs (revised and enlarged), dated May 3, 1976.

Papers relating to Owens' book, Slave Mutiny, published in 1953. Includes source materials, notes, and related publications concerning the Amistad mutiny. Manuscripts, drafts and some book reviews for both Slave Mutiny, and the later edition of the book titled Black Mutiny, published in 1968.

Papers concerning Owens' plagerism case with True magazine. Information relating to the case of Owens vs. Fawcett Publications, Inc. and Holland. Contains comparisons of Owens' Slave Mutiny with edited material and unedited material by Millard of True magazine. Contains court testimony and legal material for the case of Owens vs. Fawcett Publications, Inc. and David Holland including comparisions of Slave Mutiny with Holland's story and records from the trial. Includes the deposition of William A. Owens (July 18, 1960) and plaintiff's exhibits (April 26, 1961).

Papers relating to Owens' book, Walking on Borrowed Land including book reviews, notes, and typescripts.

This series contains works by other authors including portions of the History of the CIC. Also two biographies of Owens.

This series contains early drafts of Not So Far Away, Not So Long Ago titled And Then the People, Some Texans, and Texas: Backstreets and Country Roads.

This series contains foul copy, galley proofs and paste-ups, background material, proofs, and miscellaneous materials relating to Texas Folk Songs (2nd edition).

This series contains miscellaneous materials including articles on Grant Wood and the Philippines.

This series contains correspondence concerning Owens' books, with published reviews of Owens' books; the Annie Laurie Williams letters; the Bedichek letters; Ralph Yarborough and the Big Thicket; photographs of Owens and family; and transcripts from Owens' college years. Also contains personal correspondence from 1940-1946, including those from Owens' years on active duty in World War II, as well as correspondence concerning the film rights to Slave Mutiny; plagiarism of Slave Mutiny; clippings and articles on Grant Wood; newsletters.

This series contains letters and papers from Owens' National Humanities Series tours in 1972.

This series contains transcripts from the "Oral History of the Texas Oil Industry" tapes.