Transcripts and notes of interviews conducted by John Blew with people who knew Wright and Zoe Howes, as well as four papers Blew wrote about the Howeses. Audiocassette recordings exist for the Graff children, Howes III, Krummel, Nebenzahl, Powell, Reese, and Wells interviews, and are included in Series 5. Interviews explore the careers, social life, family history, and personalities of Wright and Zoe Howes. For nearly twenty years, the Howeses lived in the Irving Apartments, owned by the Newberry Library and located near it until their demolition in 1970. Many of the interviews describe the social aspects of living in the Irving Apartments and the residents' connections to the Newberry. The interview with book dealer William Reese also contains detailed information about the structure and content of Wright Howes' U.S.IANA.

Blew's writings describe Wright and Zoe Howes' lives and careers, as well as Wright Howes' work on U.S.IANA, and his close friendship with collector and Newberry trustee Everett D. Graff, with whom he took a number of collecting and research trips throughout the American Midwest and West.