Alcoholics Anonymous — First Edition, Second Printing (March 1941) - Extremely Rare Red Cloth Variant With Original Dust Jacket

Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book) — First Edition, Second Printing (March 1941)

Extremely Rare Red Cloth Variant · With Original Dust Jacket

Overview

Offered here is one of the most elusive “variant” Big Books of the entire First Edition run: an authentic First Edition, Second Printing (March 1941) of Alcoholics Anonymous in the rare red cloth binding—accompanied by its original First Edition dust jacket.

Most Second Printings were bound in blue cloth (light blue and navy). A very small number—believed to have been produced using leftover red cloth from the 1939 first printing—were issued in red, creating a “crossover” copy that collectors actively chase and seldom see on the market.

Why the Second Printing Matters

The Second Printing was issued at a decisive moment for A.A. It followed two years of real-world testing of the program (1939–1941), and it arrived in the same month the famous Jack Alexander article on Alcoholics Anonymous hit The Saturday Evening Post (March 1, 1941)—publicity that dramatically accelerated A.A.’s growth and pushed Big Book demand into a new phase.

It’s also the printing where the idea that “the Big Book never changed” clearly falls apart—because important textual and structural changes begin immediately with the 1941 Second Printing.

Key Second Printing Points: What Changed from 1939

Collectors value the Second Printing not only for scarcity, but because it marks the first round of meaningful revisions, including:

• Foreword update reflecting A.A.’s growth (moving beyond the “one hundred” era)

• 12th Step language change: “spiritual experience” → “spiritual awakening” (with the asterisk directing readers to the new appendix material)

• Appendix II added (not present in the 1939 First Printing)

• The well-known page 234 repeated-line typo from the First Printing was corrected

• The First Printing–only story “Lone Endeavor” is removed; later printings move toward updated membership language (“Now We Are…”) as A.A. expands

The Red Cloth Second Printing

This red cloth Second Printing is the outlier variant. It is widely regarded among Big Book collectors as dramatically scarcer than the blue Second Printing bindings, with long-standing estimates often placing the red-cloth run in only the low hundreds (exact figures are not verifiable, but scarcity in the marketplace is unmistakable).

In short: if you collect First Edition variants, this is one of the “stop what you’re doing” copies.

Edition Details

Title: Alcoholics Anonymous

Edition: First Edition

Printing: Second Printing (March 1941, stated)

Publisher: Works Publishing Company

Binding: Red cloth (rarest Second Printing variant)

Dust Jacket: Original dust jacket present

Also included: a reproduction dust jacket, provided underneath the original for protection/display support

Condition

Book: Very good overall for a 1941 First Edition variant. Red cloth shows honest wear consistent with age, including fading/soiling and staining. Handwriting present on the first page. No other writing or markings noted in the book. Binding remains solid and the book is complete.

Dust Jacket: Original dust jacket present with wear consistent with age and handling. Small portion missing at the top of the spine. Overall still an excellent survivor jacket for a First Edition book of this era.

Please review all photos closely for the most accurate representation of condition.

Collector Notes

A First Edition, Second Printing is important. A red cloth Second Printing with an original dust jacket is another level entirely—one of the toughest First Edition variants to acquire, and a true centerpiece for any Big Book collection.