Initially issued as a companion to series of books that included A Book of Dartmoor, A Book of the West, A Book of Brittany and A Book of Exmoor, this publication was intended for an English readership who often puzzled over Welsh history, and according to the author ‘without a knowledge of the history of the country in which one travels more than half the interest is lost. ’ A Book of North Wales fit very well with Baring-Gould’s major interests of folk song and folklore as he found much in Wales to kindle those passions. Containing sixteen chapters, the publication introduces the reader to the ‘Welsh People’ and their nation at the start of the English conquest. From here, Baring-Gould travels through Anglesey, Holyhead, Bangor, Snowdon, Lleyn and Conway before ending at Machynlleth. Each chapter is illustrated with folklore, stories, songs, anecdotes and many illustrations, the majority of which are photographs by Valentine & Sons and Frith & Co. The original publication is fully-indexed and is much more than a general introduction to North Wales. Baring-Gould's work in collecting folklore and folk song in the West of England is now recognised as an essential reason for their preservation. Although no such claim can be made for A Book of North Wales, the emphasis on collecting folk memory for posterity continues throughout the publication.