Series contains administrative correspondence and memos, course hand-outs, reading lists, lecture notes, assessments of grant applications, photocopied articles and clippings, and a copy of Eayrs’ PhD thesis. The material predominantly represents Eayrs’ career as a student at Columbia and as a professor at the University of Toronto and Dalhousie University, but guest lectures at other institutions are also included.

Series contains short scholarly articles by Eayrs, including book reviews and book chapters. Also included are clippings, draft manuscripts, research materials in the form of photocopies, and offprints of articles by Eayrs and others. Original publications and copies are present.

James Eayrs was a sought-after guest speaker at academic conferences, university classrooms, military colleges, and television studios. His television work started as writer for the CTV series ‘Here Come the Seventies’, which led to co-hosting CBC’s ‘Weekend’ with Charlotte Corbeil. Series contains correspondence regarding these engagements, research materials, lecture texts, conference programs, copies of papers given by others, scripts, press responses, and contracts.

In 1960, James Eayrs began writing a column for the farm journal, The Family Herald, entitled ‘News of the Week’. Columns for the Montreal Star and the Toronto Star followed, with syndication across the country. Series includes correspondence with publishers, editors, and readers, manuscript copies, and clipped copies of the published columns. They were arranged by James Eayrs by publication, by date, and by subject.

James Eayrs was one of several scholars who assisted R. MacGregor Dawson and H. Blair Neatby with research for the writing of an official biography of William Lyon Mackenzie King, following King’s death in 1950. Series contains typed transcripts from the King, Borden, Massey, Loring, Pope, and other papers, as well as correspondence relating to access to these papers. Some original documents are included, along with photocopies and photostats. The series ends with carbon copies of the memoranda created by the researchers, who included Frederick Gibson and AWA Lane.

Series consists of files maintained by James Eayrs from his extensive reading of print news sources and scholarly periodicals. Files often contain copies and/or partial manuscripts of his own work, and material taken from his other files, for example, the transcripts listed in the series above, as well as original documents from government sources and from political and activist groups. Eayrs reused material for new purposes over the course of his career and material created for one purpose was often re-purposed and re-located at a later date.

Series consists of files identified as research, writing, or a combination of both, for major books. Files contain research materials, including transcripts of archival materials, photocopies and offprints of articles written by himself and others, clipped articles, and published material. Photographs reproduced from originals in the Public Archives of Canada as possible illustrations for the In Defence of Canada series and possibly other books. Also included are draft and partial manuscripts.

James Eayrs collected clipped articles in subject and date files over many years. He read and clipped widely from a variety of courses including but not limited to The Times, The Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, The New Republic, The Economist, The Spectator, The Reporter, The Listener and the Manchester Guardian. In addition, he collected pamphlets and leaflets, bulletins, press releases, theses, the texts of speeches, periodicals and offprints, and government publications from a variety of countries. The files also contain some manuscript material, transcripts from archival sources, and correspondence. Material that is not clipped from a magazine or newspaper is noted.

Series contains files kept by Eayrs as correspondence files, although there are many letters contained in other series. For the most part the correspondence has been filed chronologically. However, the last files were grouped either by correspondent, or by publishing project. As usual, there are many other items in these files including offprints, manuscript material, clippings, photocopies, promotional materials, and photographs.

Series contains information about Eayrs’ activities as a serious collector of contemporary Canadian and American art. Included are auction catalogues, invoices, correspondence with artists and art dealers, and photographs related to the buying and selling of pieces in his collection. Also included in this series are records kept by Eayrs to keep track of his many assignments for written work in the 1960’s and 1970’s, a file of autograph letters from political and literary figures, and material received from friends.

Series consists of papers collected over many years as research for a book on Japan and Korea which led Eayrs to the mission work in these two countries and eventually to Charles Eby, Canadian missionary to Japan. Despite multiple drafts and revisions, the books were never published. Material in the fonds consists mainly of photocopies and transcripts of archival records, photocopied articles, letters, and government documents. When known the dates of original documents are provided. A list of complete articles is included, and the series ends with manuscript versions of the final book.