Collection of correspondence, reports, notes, press items and clippings and other research material assembled and created by McCray while writing his book "Giant Telescopes: astronomical ambition and the promise of technology" (Harvard University Press, 2004). Topics and individuals discussed in these files include: Gemini 8M Telescope Project; other large telescopes such as the Next Generation Telescope (NGT) and National New Technology Telescope (NNTT); observatories and organizations such as Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO), Steward Observatory Mirror Lab (SOML), National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) and Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA); government funding of telescope construction by the National Science Foundation and the National Academy of Sciences; and developments in astronomy and telescope construction.