Some pages contain musical notations, draft lyrics are for unpublished songs, scribbles, doodles, and exercises.

[2][3] In addition to the digital version, a photostat of the sketchbook was published by the staff of the Foster Hall Collection in 1933.

This full transcript of the book was created by Deane L. Root and edited by Kathryn Miller Haines in June 2000.

[2] The draft and original text for Foster's song "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair" is contained in the sketchbook.

Foster worked very hard at writing, sometimes taking several months to craft and polish the words, melody, and accompaniment of a song before sending it off to a publisher.

His sketchbook shows that he often labored over the smallest details, the right prepositions, even where to include or remove a comma from his lyrics.