This scrapbook, compiled by Gwendolyn Brooks, includes newspaper clippings, photographs, and her early handwritten poems, dating from age 13 onward. The scrapbook is bound in a commercially produced loose-leaf mechanical binding, secured by two plastic posts and a white textile cord, with hinged boards and a dark blue-black paper cover. The scrapbook’s textblock consists of twenty-five leaves of groundwood machine-made paper, with each leaf featuring a stub on the spine side. The majority of the attachments are newspaper clippings from the 1940s to 1960s, some labeled with the newspaper name and date. Brooks’ handwritten poems are grouped by age, written on light blue ruled paper, with her name or age marked on each page. There are also photographs of Brooks at various ages. Additional materials such as oversized newspaper spreads, magazines, pamphlets, and other printed sheets are tucked into the album, primarily in the front and back covers.

The scrapbook is in poor condition, with the binding completely broken down and no remaining structural support. The major issue is the highly brittle and acidic paper materials, which have become extremely fragile and prone to crumbling. The binding itself is damaged, with detached hinges, missing portions of the front and back narrow boards, and heavily abraded covers. The textblock leaves are also in poor condition, with many tears, losses, and browned edges, especially where they were bound. The attachments, including newspaper clippings and photographs, are in fair condition overall, though some clippings are detached or damaged, and several photographs are missing or deteriorated, with fading and cracks evident in some. The tucked-in materials, such as folded newspapers, remain in good condition, stable enough to handle without further damage.