The collection contains over sixty autograph and typescript manuscripts of verse by Coxe (Princeton Class of 1940), as well as sixteen of the poet's notebooks. One of the notebooks consists of verse written in the years 1943-1944 during Coxe's naval service, most of which appear in the volume The Sea Faring. Manuscripts for The Strait and Other Poems (early version of the published collection The Last Hero and Other Poems) and the play Uniform of Flesh (early version of Billy Budd, co-authored with Robert Chapman) are included. There are several additional folders of Billy Budd material, including notes, drafts, worksheets, and galley proofs, as well as papers related to the play's production and publication (contracts, financial statements, programs, etc.).

Additional accessions include thirteen letters to Augustus Sherrill Whiton, Jr., Princeton Class of 1940, dating from 1941 to 1943, including 3 manuscript poems; one letter to Hamilton and Janet Cottier, dated Dec. 2, 1977; five letters (1965-1967) from Donald Davidson; and a typescript copy of The Sea Faring and Other Poems with printer's marks.