Sir Thomas Haliburton

About the Dalhousie Haliburton Collection

The Dalhousie Thomas Haliburton Collection is a representative collection of the Canadian, American and British editions of the influential Nova Scotian politician, judge and author. The primary focus of Dalhousie’s collection is on Haliburton’s published writings with the collection consisting of thirty-two titles in 257 volumes.  All of his works are present, many in first editions and many in variant editions. Due to his enduring popularity, Haliburton’s works were frequently reprinted. Imprint dates in the collection range from 1825 to 2007. Related materials such as recent Haliburton biographies, Haliburton family genealogies, critical assessments and a number of incomplete bibliographies are included in the collection.

Collection Highlights

Collection highlights include the first edition of Haliburton’s famous satirical work, The Clockmaker, published by Joseph Howe in 1836; copies of Haliburton’s first attributed work, A General Description of Nova Scotia; multiple copies of Haliburton’s two volume Historical and Statistical Account of Nova Scotia (1829); and a twenty-four volume uniformly half-leather bound set of Haliburton’s complete works. Many of the editions retain their original bindings.

Significance

The depth and breadth of the collection supports the indepth research of Haliburton’s published works.

Indeed, one recent Haliburton researcher was disappointed to discover that a week of study did not allow enough time to examine all the relevant copies of The Clockmaker.

More from Vessels of Light: A Guide to Special Collections in the Killam Library, by Karen E. M. Smith.