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Notebook of Berta Ruck, October 1929-May 1930, containing journal entries recording her social life, family life and work in Windsor and London, as well as an account of her excursion to Zurich, Vienna and Budapest, April 1930 (ff. 41-47), a detailed description of the plane journey from Croydon, via Le Bourget, to Zurich, 17 April (ff. 36 verso-40 verso), and a typescript draft of a satirical play entitled 'Guests on Sunday' (ff. 12, 13 verso-18 verso). Some forty letters, cards and telegrams from family, friends and fans, photographs, cuttings, programmes and other ephemera have been pasted in.
The correspondents include Sheila Kaye-Smith, 12 January [1930] (f. 19 verso), Evelyn Waugh, [?1930] (f. 24), A. M. Ludovici, 27 March 1930 (f. 29 verso), and Alec Waugh, April 1930 (ff. 50, 52 verso). The volume contains sketches and drawings (f. 13, inside back cover) and poetry (inside front cover, f. 1) by Ruck. There are two lines of mirror writing on f. 29.

Notebook of Berta Ruck, May 1930-March 1931, containing journal entries, including accounts of her visits to Sweden, July 1930 (ff. 14-22), Germany, July, November 1930 (ff. 22 verso-28 verso, 69 verso-81 verso), Vienna, Austria, July-August, November-December 1930 (ff. 28 verso-42 verso, 82-91), and the French Riviera, August-September 1930 (ff. 44-61), and notes for fiction. Some fifty-two letters, cards and telegrams from family and friends, photographs, cuttings, programmes and other ephemera have been pasted in.
The correspondents include Marda Vanne, June-[December] 1930 (ff. 4, 62, 91), Oliver Onions, July-[August] 1930 (ff. 13, 30, 53), Alec Waugh, 22 June 1930 (f. 38), Hermon Ould, 30 September 1930 (f. 65 verso), Vicki Baum, 4 November 1930 (f. 78), Gwen Ffrangcon-Davies, [December] 1930 (f. 91), Norman Haire, [December] 1930 (f. 114 verso), Vita Sackville-West, 3 November 1930 (f. 121), and Cynthia Stockley, [December] 1930 (f. 129). The volume contains sketches and drawings (ff. 2 verso, 28 verso-29, 48-49, 87, 92 verso, 109, 123 verso) and poetry (ff. 67 verso, 73a-b, 88, 91-92 verso, 94 verso, 101 verso) by Ruck. The photographs include three of her with her sons (inside front cover, ff. 54, 60; the latter was published in A Story-Teller Tells the Truth (London, 1935), facing p. 166). Among the friends and acquaintances referred to in the volume are Ernst Hanfstaengl (79 verso, 80 verso-81 verso) and the writers Rebecca West (ff. 45 verso, 50 verso -51), Geoffrey Moss (ff. 49 verso-50, 54 verso, 57 verso), Vicky Baum (f. 71 verso) and Otto Friedländer (ff. 82 verso, 83, 84).

Fragments of notebooks of Berta Ruck, 1914-1926, containing impressions of travels in England and Merioneth, Wales, 1914-1916 (ff. 1-11), New York, [22]-23 September 1919 (ff. 12-16), Vienna, Austria, 1926 (ff. 17-30 verso), and France, 1926 (ff. 31-36), together with a few notes for fiction. Ephemera (in German) and nine letters, postcards and telegrams, mainly from family, July-August 1926, have been pasted in.
There are references to the First World War, [1914] (f. 2 recto-verso), 1916 (ff. 5 verso, 7 recto-verso), including a description of a Red Cross auction in Corris, Merioneth, 3 June 1916 (f. 7 recto-verso). Ink drawings by Ruck are on ff. 2 verso, 12. A photograph, [1926], of Ruck with her son, Arthur, is on f. 36 verso.