The Lake District—famous for its association with the Romantic poets—became a very popular destination for travellers towards the end of the eighteenth century, part of a growing trend of making picturesque tours during which nature was viewed with an emphasis on its spiritual qualities. During this period a variety of tourist guides, including Wordsworth’s successful Guide to the Lakes, were published.

This is the very first collection of such travel guides to the Lake District and eight important titles are reprinted here in a facsimile edition. Together with many pictures and maps (some in colour) they represent vividly how the Lakes were perceived by contemporary English visitors. The collection will be welcomed as an important primary source for the study of English literature and history for the period spanning the end of the eighteenth to the early nineteenth century.