The Publication of Thomas Chandler Haliburton's The Clockmaker, 2nd Series

<p>[Para.1]: "Although Thomas Chandler Haliburton wrote three series of The Clockmaker; or The Sayings and Doings of Samuel Slick, of Slickville, he is known today primarily as the author of series one, published in 1837 (although dated 1836) by Joseph Howe of Halifax. The reason for this is twofold. First, literary critics regard the second and third series as inferior to the first. Since the later series were written for a British audience, the political underpinnings of Sam's 'wise saws' lack the relevance and spontaneity of the 'soft sawder' of series one. Second, with the exception of George Parker, textual scholars have justifiably focused their attention on the editorial and bibliographical difficulties presented by the first series. Given the complexity of these difficulties, and the time and funding required for bibliographical research, it is not surprising that the second and third series have yet to receive the scholarly attention they warrant. In fact, of the three series, the second series poses the greatest challenge to the bibliographer. By examining the composition and publication history of The Clockmaker, series two, l intend to correct, in part, the current imbalance in Haliburton bibliography." </p>