The collection consists of Administration and Promotion subject files, Center for the Book material, magazine and newspaper clippings, correspondence, manuscript drafts, Book-of-the-Month Club material, and audio-visual material.

The Administration and Promotion subject files are arranged in rough chronological order. The Public Relations survey involved a form sent to public librarians asking about effective ways to promote read ing. The Spokane Public Library material includes ideas to promote adult literacy and information on their efforts to boost reading through the use of television. The Dana Library Public Relations Awards contest and the Library Awareness Idea Search were entered by Eastman with the BMAD concept. The BTMTD Kit, which is included with this material, never proved successful. Poster Sessions refers to the use of a BMAD exhibit at the 1982 American Library Association meeting. PM Magazine material includes information on the possibility of a BTMTD spot on the show. Susan Neuman material relates to this professor's research at Eastern Connecticut State University of children's reading habits and Neuman's inquiries to Eastman for duplicates of the recorded interviews. The Sabines' Houston presentation was made at Westfield High School in the Spring Independent School District, October 2-3, l984. The Sabines' conclusions focus on their summation about the difference books make to different people. Reader's Digest material consists of mostly manu script fragments of the book organized by Gordon Sabine for an article that was submitted to but never published by Reader's Digest. Miscellaneous administrative information consists mostly of memos, ALA and agent's information, notes, clippings, etc.

The Center for the Book material includes meeting reports of, and publicity for, the BTMTD project.

The clippings are primarily about the BTMTD project, with a few scattered throughout on other related topics.

The correspondence consists of copies of the initial letters Eastman sent to State Librarians about the project, requests for information and materials from librarians, letters of inquiry about the project to the Center for the Book, and Walter Matthau's 1980 letter to the Sabines about his most meaningful book. Also included in the correspondence are the letters written to NPR in response to their request for listeners' to write in what book made the difference in their lives.

The book manuscripts include a card file of notes for the book, as well as drafts and cut- up fragments of the book. Book copy refers to a xerox copy of the finished book. A first edition copy of the book, Books That Made the Difference: What People Told Us is also included in the manuscripts section.

The Book-of-the-Month Club material includes a copy of its 1985 version of the book (pages 1-128 of the original Shoe String Press edition), as well as miscellaneous project material pertaining to the Book- of-the-Month Club.

The Audio-Visual material includes photographs, contact sheets, and negatives of interviewees in the project. One photograph is of Gordon Sabine at a teletype machine for deaf library users at the Free Library of Philadelphia and another is of him interviewing a woman on the beach at Sanibel. The order of the contact sheets and negatives follows the Sabines' trail around the country. See Container List for complete listing. Of the four 8-track tapes, one is of Susan Stamberg's NPR interview with Gordon Sabine, the second of an interview with Robert Cromie of Chicago, Illinois, the third is entitled "Eastman MS w/excerpts from BTMTD speech", and the last is of "various interviews." The slides are of interviewees. The videotapes include two U-matic cassettes, one labeled "Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Sabine, BTMTD, Black and White, no Sound", and the other of the BMAD slides which has a list accompany ing it. Another videotape is from the April 1981 BTMTD presentation for the Center for the Book, and a fourth is marked "Contents unknown". The interview tapes include conversations with such noteworthy people as Daniel Boorstin, Woody Hayes, Clare Booth Luce, Dottie Lamm, William G. Milliken, Studs Terkel, Andy Rooney, Edgar Bergen, Sam Bass Warner, Tony Randall, Barbara Tuchman, and Susan Stamberg. The interviewees on Tape are listed in a separate cassette index, appended to the back of the container list.