Inventing Sam Slick: A Biography of Thomas Chandler Haliburton

by Richard A. Davies

Thomas Chandler Haliburton (1796-1865) was one of pre-confederation Canada's best-known authors. His popular 'Sam Slick the Clockmaker' character was a household name not only in his home country, but also in England and the United States. Born in Windsor, Nova Scotia, Haliburton was not only a writer, but also a lawyer, judge, politician, and historian. He gained fame for his writing in 1836 with The or, the Sayings and Doings of Samuel Slick of Slickville for a Halifax newspaper. It became a hit in England and was followed by six sequels. Although Haliburton tried to put Sam Slick aside and work in other genres, he found himself invariably returning to the character in his later books. This commitment to Slick resulted in a curious effacement of Haliburton's own personal gentlemanly identity, which he spent the second half of his life affirming by fostering links with socially well connected family in England. In the public imagination, however, he remained linked with Sam Slick. Based on over ten years of archival research, Richard A. Davies's scholarly biography of Haliburton is the first since 1924. It is an engaging examination of a controversial and contradictory Canadian writer and significant figure in the history of pre-confederation Nova Scotia.

340 pages, Hardcover

First published March 16, 2005

Reviews

[Paganus Kiley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clearly my Irish Catholic Nova Scotian ancestors would not have been acquainted with Haliburton. I actually don't think they could read. I have always wanted to know more about Haliburton. I have frequently visited Clifton being an admirer of our built heritage and wondered about the mythic figure of Sam Slick and his author. What i discovered in this book was an arch-19th century Conservative, and a vulgar and racist person, at least to my 21st century sentiment. It was really quite extraordinary. Sadly, the myth of Sam Slick cannot and does not endure, it has not survived the passage of time. It is said when a myth dies.

The book is an excellent and well-researched historical document. The author was not trying to be an apologist for Haliburton, my comments merely reflect my disappointment with the real man.