This letterbook covers the period January-March 1916. Most of the correspondence is by Edison and William H. Meadowcroft. Included are letters pertaining to Edison's benzol absorbing plants and other chemical manufacturing interests, as well as to business conditions during World War I. One letter mentions a strike at the carbolic acid plant in Silver Lake, New Jersey. Other items concern the sale of toluol to the British government. There is also correspondence dealing with the technical and commercial development of motion pictures, phonographs, and storage batteries. The correspondents include investment banker Clarence Dillon, businessman Isaac W. England, longtime Edison associate Samuel Insull, electrical engineer Charles P. Steinmetz, and representatives of J. P. Morgan & Co. and Mitsui & Co.

The spine is stamped "Letters" and is marked "T.A.E. From Jan. 27 1916 To Mar. 4 1916." The number "48" also appears on the spine. The book contains 696 numbered pages and an index. Approximately 15 percent of the book has been selected.