[O'BRIEN] HALIBURTON B3 



46. Au. éd. London : George Routlcdge d- Sons, 1884, 12mo. pp. 186. 



47. " " London : Frederick Warne d Co., 12mo. 



48. " " New York, 1889, ]2mo. 



49. " " London : George Routlcdge d Sons, Ltd., 1904, 12mo. pp. 425. 



First. Second and Third Series. 

 60. " " London : George Routledge d Sons, Ltd., n.d., 12mo. pp. viii, 329. 

 A cheap reprint. Very badly printed. 



In 1835, Haliburton began to publish in The Novascotian news- 

 paper, (then edited by Joseph Howe, his subsequent life-long friend) a 

 number of anonymous sketches of colonial life, chiefly illustrating in- 

 cidents and anecdotes that he thought worthy of preservation. These 

 sketches comprised what now form chapters 1 to 21 of the First Series. 

 Adopting the name of " Sam Slick the Clockmaker," as representative 

 of a then very well-known class, he immediately caught the public's 

 attention, and his articles were largely copied into the American press. 

 Shortly before the articles appeared a Yankee pedlar was selling clocks 

 throughout Nova Scotia and Cape Breton. These were warranted for a 

 year, and many promissory notes given for the price. The notes passed 

 into the hands of third persons, who brought suit upon them. As the 

 clocks had failed to go, great was the dismay of the clock owners. The 

 first case, curiously enough, came up before Judge Haliburton, who read 

 the Yankee pedlar a homily on the impropriety' of cheating Bluenoses 

 with Yankee clocks that would not keep time. 



The newspaper articles were then collected, added to, and published 

 anonymously, and shortly afterwards republished in the United States. 

 A copy being brought to Mr. lîichard Bentley, the London publisher, an 

 English edition was immediately issued without the knowledge of, and 

 without profit to the author, — the work not having been copyrighted. 

 The author was believed to be an American gentleman then living in 

 London. The work was well received. These volumes, which created 

 *' Sam Slick," and founded a new school of humour, have had the 

 phenomenal record of nearly 50 editions, notwithstanding which, copies 

 of the work — as well as of others of Haliburton's writings — are some- 

 what difficult to obtain. 



The chapters on " The Duke of Kent's Lodge," " Behind the 

 Scenes," " Too Knowing by Half," and " Facing a Woman," appeared 

 first in Bcntley's Miscellany. 



Sam Slick's sayings are widely quoted, and are used in Bartlett's 

 Dictionary of Americanisms to illustrate colloquial terms. 



The English in America. See " Eule and^ Misrule of the English in 

 America." 



