The J. Randolph Sasnett papers document Sasnett's friendship with English editor and publisher Wilfrid Meynell. In particular the papers demonstrate Sasnett's efforts to obtain permission to publish some letters of Charles Dickens held by the Meynell family which detail Dickens's and his friend Thomas James Thompson's infatuation with the same women, who was to become the mother of Alice Meynell.

The papers consist mainly of correspondence between Sasnett and Meynell, as well as some letters from Meynell's daughter Viola. An exchange of notes between Sasnett and Lady Marie Dickens is also included. The relationship between Sasnett and the Meynells is further documented through manuscripts of poems by Alice Meynell, Viola Meynell, and Francis Thompson, as well as photographs from Sasnett's visit to the Meynell estate. Background on the Dickens letters is provided via articles about Dickens's personal life and copies of some of his letters.