The marine shales of the lower Silurian Longmaxi formation (S(1)l) and the upper Ordovician Wufeng formation (O(3)w) in the middle Yangtze area of southern China have been recognized as effective gas shales with an enormous potential. To estimate the total gas content in the shales, shale gas samples were collected at 20 degrees C, 48 degrees C/65 degrees C, and 90 degrees C in the gas release process of each core sample during desorption experiments. Based on the isotope fractionation data during the desorption of gas in shale, an adsorbed gas content((mixture gas))/free gas content((mixture gas)) to delta C-13(1(mixture gas)) model was established to estimate the proportions of free and adsorbed gas in shale by using the delta C-13(1) data of shale gas. The proportion of adsorbed gas((mixture gas)) in the Wufeng shales is higher than that in the Longmaxi gas shales. The adsorption capacity of the Wufeng shales with relatively high total organic carbon (TOC) is greater than that of the Longmaxi shales with a relatively low TOC. Subsequently, the free gas content and the adsorbed gas content could be calculated during the desorption experiments. Combining the free gas and adsorbed gas estimated from the logging data, we calculated the minimum and maximum total gas contents of each core sample from well LY1. The total gas content in the Wufeng shales, ranging from 1.654 to 3.371 m(3)/t, is higher than that of the Longmaxi shales, ranging from 0.398 to 1.769 m(3)/t. Compared with the minimum and maximum total gas contents predicted by the isotopic geochemical data and logging data, the value of the total gas content estimated by using the United States Bureau of Mines method is not always located within the range of the total gas content, which is influenced by the relationship between free gas((logging data)) (m(3)/t) and free gas ((measured gas)) (m(3)/t).