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:- Pigot's Directory of Kent (1824)- Pigot and Co's National, London and Provincial Commercial Directory for 1832-3-4. Sussex only (1834)- Pigot's Directory of Sussex (1839)- History, Gazetteer and Directory of Kent. Vol. II (1847)- New and Enlarged Directory for Maidstone, and its Environs (1850)- Hand-book for the use of Visitors to Harrow on the Hill; containing a topographical and historical account of the parish of Harrow, and the grammar school founded by John Lyon; with a Directory comprising the residences of the neighbouring gentry, tradesmen, etc. (1850)- A New Commercial and General Directory of the Town of Croydon; with a supplementary list of the clergy and gentry of the neighbourhood: to which are added brief notices of the town and miscellaneous information (1851)- Gravesend and Milton Directory for 1851 (1851)- Post Office Directory of the Six Home Counties, viz., Essex, Herts, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex. [1851. Sussex only] (1851)- Mason's Court Guide and General Directory for Brentford, Kew, Ealing, Isleworth, Twickenham, Teddington, Richmond, Kingston, Hampton, &c. (1853)- The Original Brighton and Hove Directory, including Cliftonville (1854)- Post Office Directory of Essex, Herts, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex. [1855. Part 1: Counties & Localities] (1855)- Post Office Directory of Essex, Herts, Kent, Middlesex, Surrey and Sussex. [1855. Part 2: Court & Trade Directories] (1855)- Melville and Co's Directory & Gazetteer of Sussex, containing Brighton (1855)- Melville & Co.'s Directory & Gazetteer of Kent, containing a descriptive account of each city, town, and village, followed by a directory (1858)- Melville and Co.'s Directory & Gazetteer of Susssex, containing Brighton, Hastings (1858)- French & Son's Handbook and Directory for Worthing (1859)- Post Office Sussex Directory (1859)- The History of Walthamstow, its past, present and future; with a directory, map of the parish ... census returns, &c. (1861)- Brackett's Descriptive Illustrated Hand Guide to Tunbridge Wells, and the neighbouring towns, seats & villages; containing historical notices, information for visitors, and a short directory (1863)- The Post Office Directory of Sussex (1866)- The Post Office Directory of Essex (1874)- The Post Office Directory of Middlesex (1874)- The Post Office Directory of Surrey (1878)- The Post Office Directory of Sussex (1878)- Deacon's Court Guide, Gazetteer, and County Blue Book: a fashionable register and general survey of Sussex, embracing Brighton, Eastbourne (1881)- Kelly's Directory of Essex (1882)- Kelly's Directory of Kent (1882)- W. T. Pike's District Blue Book, Weald of Kent and Romney Marsh Directory (1884)- Kelly's Ealing, Acton, Hanwell, Gunnersbury & Chiswick Directory for 1889-90 (1889)- Kelly's Directory of Hertfordshire (1890)- Kelly's Directory of Sussex (1890)