The volume, arranged alphabetically by authors, covers the letters A to G. It was made by pasting into an album slips, written in several hands, for each book. An entry on folio 151 shows that it was being compiled in 1818; the paper of the album is watermarked 1818, 1819, and 1821.

About 60 of the entries give sufficient information about binding or manuscript inscriptions to enable the copy to be identified: of these 9 are certainly, and 19 others possibly, in the sale catalogues of David Constable`s books (Sotheby, 16 January 1827, and Speare, 19 November 1828); another 6 are connected with persons named Constable. Whether the remainder were in Constable`s possession and were not sold in 1827-1828, or whether another library is also included, is uncertain.

8 of the books catalogued had belonged to Sir Robert Gordon, but do not appear in the 1743 Catalogue of the Gordonstoun Library (MS.3804: this manuscript belonged to Constable); another three, which had belonged to William Gordon, Bishop of Aberdeen, may have come from the same source. Four had belonged to the Dukes of Queensberry, three to the Dukes of Roxburghe (lots 7774, 8733, and 8734 at the 1812 sale), and three to the Earls of Balcarres.

There are some pencil notes, correcting or supplementing the original entry, which appear to be in the hand of George Chalmers, who was a friend of Constable, and who may have been responsible for the undertaking.