In 1998, Elisabeth Papas Smith published the biography of his father.  Entitled “Sophocles Papas:  The Guitar,  His Life”, the book includes details about the early years of Popes in Greece, his initial guitar work, his establishment of the Columbia Music Company, his connection with Andrés Segovia and his extensive correspondence, his friendship and correspondence with Carl Sandburg, and his many friends and students, as Charlie Byrd and Liona Boyd.  Papas taught the classical guitar in Washington D.C. for nearly 60 years, and made the city a center for guitar activity in the US.
The book presents Papas in his roles of educator, editor, judge, collector, even cook, and contains numerous photographs of Papas, his family, and friends.