Authors, including Theodore Roosevelt (writing while President of the United States), were noted experts in their fields.

The trade edition of each volume was 7+7⁄8 by 5+1⁄2 inches (200 by 140 mm) with green cloth covers with gilt titles and decorations.

A 1924 reprinting of the trade edition introduced dust jackets and a slightly reduced size of 7+1⁄2 by 5 inches (190 by 130 mm).

These include Skating, Hockey, and Kite Sailing; Baseball and Football; The Bear Family; and Cougar, Wildcat, Wolf, and Fox.

Whitney testified in a lawsuit against him that he earned a salary of $1,500 (about $39,000 inflation-adjusted to 2016) for editing the American Sportsman's Library.