The record group consists of 249 volumes of bound issues of Time magazine (1933-1934, 1940-2002) and one volume of Letters magazine (1934-1937).

These issues of Time are noted as "marked" copies and were maintained by the Time Inc. Copy Desk. They include annotations on various articles, primarily the initials of the writer, editor and researcher of the piece. Bylines in Time did not become common until the mid-to-late 1970s. Consequently, these bound volumes are the only reliable key to who wrote, researched and edited articles from the pre-byline era, as well as to unattributed articles in later issues. For example, these volumes have been used to attribute works without bylines to noted author James Agee. The annotations also include brief observations on various matters of style, word choice, and the like. The annotations on these post-production issues do not necessarily include substantive editorial choices or changes.

The volumes also include editorial inserts at some points. Some of these were on small slips of paper pinned to a page (when found during processing, pins were removed and the slips clipped to the pages). In the late 1970s, these inserts commonly list stories and their associated writer, editor and researcher for each issue of Time. Also in the late 1970s, "count lists for the international edition" begin to appear.

The record group has some gaps in coverage. There are no issues here of Time from prior to 1933 and from 1935-1939. The volumes for January-March 1946 and April-June 1960 are missing. Also, not all of the issues in the volumes are annotated.

The volume of Letters magazine, consisting of letters to the editor, is not annotated.