Although these days Matlock is considerably larger than Matlock Bath, this wasn't the case when the majority of the travel books transcribed on this website were published. So what we now think of as Matlock was only mentioned in passing, as either the village of Matlock or as Matlock Bank. It was only in the latter half of the nineteenth century that more information about Matlock was included in such books. The Napoleonic Wars in the early part of the century had meant that people could not travel to the Continent, so tourism flourished at home.

These books supplied a need to satisfy discerning British travellers and were highly regarded, and some provided a huge amount of fascinating information. To quote the "Edinburgh Reporter" (1840) on reviewing Adam's "Gem of the Peak": 'This work is much superior to the generality of Guide-books'.

In this section of the Matlock and Matlock Bath website you'll find complete transcripts and selected extracts covering everything from cotton manufacture, black marble, Blue John, hydropathy to the spectacular scenery. Many guides contained beautiful engravings and, where possible, these have been included with the text.