The aim of the project was to improve access to local and trade directories for the period 1750-1919 by making a substantial collection of English and Welsh directories available online as a Digital Library of Historical Directories. This digital resource comprises in total some 600 directories, covering every English county together with Wales, and ranging widely over the period 1750-1919 (the latter cut-off point chosen for copyright reasons). There is a particular focus on the 1850s, 1890s and 1910s, with at least one directory provided for each county in each of these decades. The digitisation of the volumes involved a two-stage process, in which (1) the hard-copy source was scanned to produce a graphic image of each page, and then (2) those images were processed using OCR software to generate a machine-readable text file.An online version of this resource can be found on the Website of the University of Leicester. This data collection includes the following directories:- Slater's Royal National Commercial Directory of Manchester  and  Salford,  with  their  vicinities  ...  [1886.  Part  1:  Alphabetical Directory] (1886)- Slater's Royal National Commercial Directory of Manchester and Salford, with their vicinities ... [1886. Part 2: Trades, Institutions, Streets, etc.] (1886)- The Cotton Spinners and Manufacturers' Directory, and  Engineers  and  Machine  Makers'  Advertiser;  with  the  approximate  number of spindles and looms, and the telegraphic addresses, telephone nos., and pay days of the principal firms (1891)- Kelly's  Directory  of  Liverpool  and  Suburbs,  with  which  is  included  Birkenhead  and  neighbourhood.  [1894.  Part  1:  Liverpool] (1894)- Kelly's  Directory  of  Liverpool  and  Suburbs,  with  which  is  included  Birkenhead  and  neighbourhood.  [1894.  Part  2:  Birkenhead and Trade & Court Directories] (1894)- Slater's  Manchester  and  Salford  Directory  for  1895. With  the  pay  days  of  the  principal  firms  ...  a  separate  list  of  shipping  houses,  their  markets,  and  the  class  of  goods  shipped,  etc.  Also  banking  and  parliamentary  directories.  [Part  1:  Alphabetical  Directory]  (1895)- Slater's  Manchester  and  Salford  Directory  for  1895. With  the  pay  days  of  the  principal  firms  ...  a  separate  list  of  shipping  houses,  their  markets,  and  the  class  of  goods  shipped,  etc.  Also   banking   and   parliamentary   directories.   [Part   2:   Trades,   Institutions, Streets, etc.] (1895)- General  and  Commercial  Directory  of  Burnley,  Nelson,  Colne,  Padiham,  Barrowford,  Brierfield,  Cliviger,  Trawden,  Barnoldswick, and adjacent villages and townships (1896)- Kelly's Directory of Cheshire. (1896)- Gore's  Directory  of  Liverpool  and  its  environs,  including  on  the  Cheshire  side,  Birkenhead,  Tranmere,  Oxton,  Rock  Ferry, Bebington, & part of Eastham, Hoylake, West Kirby, New Brighton, Bidston, Wallasey, Liscard, Seacombe ... [1900. Part 1: Street List & Street Directory] (1900)- Gore's  Directory  of  Liverpool  and  its  environs,  including  on  the  Cheshire  side,  Birkenhead,  Tranmere,  Oxton,  Rock  Ferry, Bebington, & part of Eastham, Hoylake, West Kirby, New Brighton, Bidston,  Wallasey,  Liscard,  Seacombe  ...  [1900.  Part  2:  Alphabetical  Directory] (1900)- Gore's  Directory  of  Liverpool  and  its  environs,  including  on  the  Cheshire  side,  Birkenhead,  Tranmere,  Oxton,  Rock  Ferry, Bebington, & part of Eastham, Hoylake, West Kirby, New Brighton, Bidston,  Wallasey,  Liscard,  Seacombe  ...  [1900.  Part  3:  Trade  &  Official Directories] (1900)- Kelly's Directory of Cheshire, 1902 (1902)