Blue-grey paper-covered notebook inscribed in pencil on the front cover Writing Notes, originally containing 96 pages of cream lightweight wove paper 225 x 174mm in six signatures of sixteen. The pages, numbered after some had been removed, bear odd numbers at lower right on the recto as far as the fifth signature, after which a few bear even numbers. Many pages from the fifth and sixth signatures are missing; four pages with notes on sculpture and slight sketches exist, one of which is p.128. Some unnumbered pages have been replaced in sequence where this can be deduced; four are placed at the end, followed by five pages thought to be from the notebook.

Although the notebook is known as Heads, Figures and Ideas, Moore's front cover inscription suggests that it was originally used for writing. The opening pages bear what appear to be notes for his speech presenting a paper, 'The Sculptor in Modern Society', at an International Conference of Artists held by Unesco in Venice, 1952, indicating that the notebook was started well before 1955. Its earlier use is also indicated by the pencilled names of staff at University College Hospital, London, where Moore was a patient during 1954.

Much of the subject-matter in the notebook, dealing with issues concerning the Unesco commission of 1956 which led to the reclining figure LH 416 of 1957-58, was reproduced in the book Heads, Figures and Ideas 1958. This contained an introduction by Geoffrey Grigson and comments by the artist based on inscriptions and texts in this notebook. The deluxe edition of 150 copies contained the lithograph CGM 41 mounted as a frontispiece. The first twenty-seven deluxe copies each contained in addition an original drawing; one unnumbered copy and two others, numbered 1A and 1B, each contained twelve drawings which were subsequently removed; a fourth, numbered 2, still has twelve drawings mounted throughout. The drawings mounted in deluxe copies were from this notebook, from Sketchbook 1950, Heads, Figures and Ideas Sketchbook 1956 and from Unesco Notebook 1954-57.