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:- A Complete Directory And Guide to the Town and Castle of Cardiff, the surrounding towns, villages, gentlemen's seats and remarkable places (1796)- A Complete Directory & Guide to the towns & castles of Cardiff and Caerphilly, the city and cathedral of Landaff, and the surrounding towns, villages, gentlemens' seats, & remarkable places, &c (1813)- Swansea Directory, compiled to October 1816; alphabetical lists of the corporation, clergy, merchants, bankers, professors of law and physic, manufactories, tradesmen, &c. &c., public buildings, schools, hospitals, and charitable institutions (1816)- The Bath Directory: containing an alphabetical arrangement of the names and places of abode of the inhabitants: also an enlarged street directory ... to which is added, an elaborate account of the regulations of the General Post Office (1846)- Hunt & Co.'s Directory & Topography for the cities of Gloucester & Bristol, and the towns of Aberayron, Abergavenny, Aberystwith, Brecon, Brynmawr, Crickhowell, Lampeter, Llandilo, Llandovery, Monmouth, Pontypool, Ragland, Tredegar, and Usk (1849)- Hunt & Co's Directory and Topography for the cities of Gloucester & Bristol, and the towns of Berkeley, Cirencester, Coleford ... with Abaravon, Aberdare, Bridgend ... containing the names and addresses of the nobility, gentry, clergy, professional gentlemen, traders, &c. (1849)- Hunt & Co.'s Directory & Topography for the City of Bristol, and the towns of Axbridge, Burnham, Clevedon, Weston-Super-Mare, &c., also the Welsh towns of Cardigan, Carmarthen, Fishguard, Haverfordwest, Kidwelly, Laugharne, Llanelly, Milford Haven, Narberth, Newcastle-In-Emlyn, Pembroke, St. Clears', Swansea, and Tenby (1850)- History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Shropshire; comprising a general survey of the county, with a variety of historical, statistical, topographical, commercial, and agricultural information (1851)- Mathews's Annual Bristol and Clifton Directory, and Almanack (1851)- A Directory for the City and Borough of Bath, and its environs, containing a general directory with the names of the principal inhabitants of Bathampton, Batheaston, Bathford, Combe Down, Swainswick, Twerton and Weston (1852)- Scammell & Co.'s City of Bristol and South Wales Directory ... containing copious lists of the nobility, gentry, and clergy; and classified directories of the professional gentlemen, merchants, manufacturers, and tradesmen (1852)- Pearse's Commercial Directory to Swansea and the neighbourhood for 1854: comprising an alphabetical and classified list of professional, commercial, and private residents, with a complete list of public officers, postal arrangements, &c. (1854)- Wakeford's Cardiff Directory, and official register; embracing Llandaff, Canton, Ely, and Roath, containing an official register, public institutions, companies, schools and societies; list of carriers and fairs ... list of residents, a street guide and key, and a classified commercial list (1855)- Pearse's Swansea Directory; including Neath, Llanelly, and the neighbourhood, for 1856: comprising an alphabetical and classified list of professional, commercial, and private residents, with a list of public officers, postal arrangements, &c. (1856)- Post Office Directory of Gloucestershire, with Bath and Bristol (1856)- Post Office Directory of Herefordshire (1856)- History, Topography and Directory of Herefordshire, to which is prefixed an abridgment of the early history of England (1858)- Harrison, Harrod & Co.'s Bristol Post-Office Directory and Gazetteer, with the counties of Gloucestershire and Somersetshire; containing a descriptive account of each place, followed by a Directory (1859)- Slater's (Late Pigot & Co.