"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 Clockmaker: 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." "Based on over ten years of archival research, Richard A. Davies's biography of Haliburton is the first since 1924. It is an examination of a controversial and contradictory Canadian writer and significant figure in the history of Nova Scotia."--Jacket.