William Maddock, who had gained experience in the book trades in England, arrived in Sydney in the early 1850s. According to one source Maddock had worked as a salesperson at George Robertson's bookshop, alongside William Dymock, before going into business on his own. Maddock's association with Robertson certainly predated that of the much younger Dymock, however. Maddock's first known publication in his own name (Henry Upton Alcock's Epitome of the Game of Billiards) was published (1863) in Sydney by Maddock and in Melbourne by Robertson - the latter having recently closed a short-lived Sydney branch of his business. When Maddock's bookshop and circulating library was eventually bought out by William Dymock, Maddock was retained as a manager at Dymocks Book Arcade.