Coleman Dowell composed most of the songs in this collection between 1942-1962. Although best known as a novelist, Dowell's early career in music spanned two decades, first as a composer for the Dumont Television show "Once Upon a Tune", and later as the composer of the musical The Tattooed Countess, based on the novel by Carl Van Vechten. Though the songs were highly praised when the musical opened on Broadway at the Barbizon-Plaza Theater on May 3, 1961, the show folded within a few weeks.

Now housed in several archives, including the Fales Library at NYU and the New York Public Library, the songs in this collection are available in print for the first time.