east vs to the east

east

adj
  • Situated or lying in or towards the east; eastward. 

  • Of or pertaining to the east; eastern. 

  • Blowing (as wind) from the east. 

  • From the East; oriental. 

  • Designating, or situated in, the liturgical east. 

adv
  • towards the east; eastwards 

noun
  • One of the four principal compass points, specifically 90°, conventionally directed to the right on maps; the direction of the rising sun at an equinox. 

  • The eastern region or area; the inhabitants thereof. 

to the east

How often have the words east and to the east occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )