The Friedenberg Papers consist largely of personal and professional correspondence and manuscripts of his books, articles, and book reviews.

The bulk of the correspondence dates from 1964 to 1969, but there is some earlier (1953-1963) and later (1970, 1973-1976) correspondence. Friedenberg carried on a dialogue in his letters with a number of his fellow critics about the problems of education and youth. Notable figures include Bennett Berger, Robert Coles, Jules Cohen, Paul Goodman, Maxine Greene, John Holt, Norman Podhoretz, David Riesman, Michael Rossman, and Frederick Wiseman. Friedenberg also corresponded with a number of lesser known figures, including teachers, high school and college students who had read and were influenced by his ideas. Some of the correspondence consists of invitations to address a variety of university, public education, church, and student groups.

The papers also include typescripts and galley proofs, with the author's corrections, of The Vanishing Adolescent (1959), Coming of Age in America (1965), The Dignity of Youth and Other Atavisms (1965), R.D. Laing (1973), and The Disposal of Liberty and Other Industrial Wastes (1976), as well as typescripts for articles and books reviews.

Friedenberg's early career, 1935-1945, is documented by correspondence, essays, and newspaper clippings pertaining primarily to his relations with his tutor, Dr. John B. Entriken, and his life at Centenary College, Shreveport, Louisiana. Other materials, 1963-1970, reflect his association with the State University of New York at Buffalo.