The Richard Schickel collection spans the years 1958 to 1969. It consists of correspondence; drafts and printed copies of books, articles, and reviews; research material; and scripts and promotional material for television programs.

The correspondence, 1958-1969, contains a few letters of a personal nature; most, however, offer reaction to his reviews and books or give thanks for complimentary copies of Schickel's books. Many of the correspondents are prominent artists and celebrities from New York and Hollywood, such as Richard Burton, Leontyne Price, Leonard Bernstein, and Alexander Calder.

Documenting the development of Schickel's books, articles, and reviews are manuscript, typed, and copy-edited drafts as well as advertisements. The material for his 1967 biography of Walt Disney, The Disney Version, is unusually complete and forms the bulk of this collection. It includes correspondence, research material, the first and the copy-edited drafts. The research materials include correspondence, clippings, articles, interviews with Disney and his staff members, and material on the various Disney operations (Disneyland, Disneyland East in Florida, and the Mineral King resort in California).

Schickel gathered the research material for a television program on “The Sexual Revolution” in 1964 and for a Time cover story on the movie Dr. Zhivago in 1965.

The television scripts and promotional material relate to programs in which Schickel was featured from 1963 to 1969.