The collection comprises:
- Manuscripts relating to the life and works of Dante and particularly to the 'Divina Commedia'about which there are extensive notes (MS 105/1).
- Manuscripts relating to the life and works of Giovanni Boccaccio and particularly to 'La Teseide'of which there are transcripts from the original codex (MS 105/2).
- Manuscripts relating to other aspects of life and literature of Italy including items bearing thetitles: 'Cours de Chiromancie' ('Palmistry coursebook'), 'Descrizione Topografica della Citta diFirenze' ('Topographical Description of Florence'), 'Storia Dell Arme dei Medici' ('History of thearms of the Medici'), 'Storia Di Appollonio di Tira Copiata di Mano del Vincenzio FolliniBibliotecario della Libreria Magliabechina dell Cod. 68 [s]alch. II di detta Libreria' ('History ofAppollinio of Tira copied by the hand of Vincenzio Follini, librarian of the MagaliabechinaLibrary'), 'Storia di Verona di Gisolamo' ('History of Gisolamo of Verona'), and 'Lettra di FrateSlavio' ('letter of Friar Salvio') (MS 105/3).
It is likely that the documents in this collection are contemporaneous with Vernon's life: theitems that are dated were created in the 1830s and 1840s. It is not known if any of the manuscriptsare written in Vernon's own hand but they certainly bear the handwriting of several differentauthors.