The series includes personal correspondence William Toye received while he was working at Oxford University Press, Canada, and correspondence he received at home. The correspondence is arranged in two groups: the first group of files is arranged chronologically and the second group is arranged alphabetically by the name of the correspondent; the latter includes files on American friends Florence and Carl Carleton; on F.R. Scott's biographer, Sandra Djwa; and on the writers and artists Christina McCall, P.K. Page, F.R. Scott and Marian Scott (with a colour snapshot of F.R. Scott taken ca. 1982 and a b/w studio portrait of Marian Scott, 1941, by "Dora"), and A.J.M. Smith. All the files were created by William Toye and it should be noted that correspondence from some of the correspondents given individual files may also be found in the general files.
Most of the correspondence concerns literary and publishing matters, although there is some correspondence with family members and correspondence concerning Toye's travels. Throughout the general correspondence files is correspondence with other editors (including Robert Weaver, John Robert Colombo, Ivon Owen), publishers, booksellers, librarians, scholars and students. There is correspondence with the Graphic Arts Industries Association, Readers' Club of Canada, International Center for the Typographic Arts, Art Directors Club of Toronto, Canadian Book Publishers' Council, the Royal Commission on Book Publishing, and "Ethos" Magazine. There are also correspondence files regarding the publication of the Concise Companion to English Literature and On Canadian Literature.
Frequent correspondents found in the general correspondence files include: Marius Barbeau 1959-1965; George Woodcock 1959-1975; Art Price, 1959-1981; James Reaney 1959-1985; Frances and Murray Adaskin 1962-1996; A.J.M. Smith 1969-1978; Margaret Atwood 1971-2000; John Glassco 1972-1980; Marion McCormick 1973-1994; George Johnston 1974-1982; Lovat Dickson 1979-1985; Gary Geddes 1979-1990; Jay Macpherson 1980-2000; David Staines 1982-1998; Leon Edel 1984-1996; and Douglas LePan 1993-1995.
Other correspondents include: W.H. Clarke 1949; Theo Dimson 1960-1961; Anne Wilkinson, Mary Innis, Paul Arthur 1962; Arnold Brigden 1963; Carl Dair 1963-1967; Miriam Waddington 1968-1993; Norman Levine 1970; Elizabeth Cleaver 1972-1977; Al Purdy 1972-1981; Michael Ondaatje 1975; Ralph Gustafson 1978; Don Evans (Isaac Bickerstaff), Carl Klinck 1981; Kathleen Coburn 1981-82; Gordon MacNamara, Phyllis Webb 1983; Elizabeth Spencer 1984-1986; Jean Cléo Godin 1985; Maria Tippett 1987-2000; and John Polanyi 1990-1991. There are also letters from the illustrator and author Maurice Sendak n.d. (see Personal Correspondence - Home file) and travel writer Jan Morris 1984. Included among the correspondence are Toye's eulogy for friend Miriam Waddington and a copy of his retirement address, delivered at the Toronto Yacht Club, in 1991.
The series also includes approximately 525 letters and cards exchanged by Toye and the author Mavis Gallant, dating from 1978 to 2006. The Toye-Gallant correspondence comprises some 1400 pages, with its enclosures and some inter-filed clippings, and includes approximately 110 handwritten cards and autograph letters signed by Gallant, 80 original typed letters signed by Gallant, as well as 95 copies of her faxed letters and 250 original typed letters or photocopied letters from Toye. The letters, which cover a wide variety of subjects, largely relate to literary matters. Included among the correspondence are letters from William Maxwell and Lynn Booth.