A Sober Faith — Religion and Alcoholics Anonymous by G. Aiken Taylor — 1953
A Sober Faith: Religion and Alcoholics Anonymous
— G. Aiken Taylor (1953)
Macmillan Company, New York · First Printing · Hardcover w/ Original Dust Jacket
A thoughtful and increasingly hard-to-find early commentary on Alcoholics Anonymous from the perspective of religion and the church. In A Sober Faith, writer and religion editor G. Aiken Taylor takes A.A. seriously—not as a trend or curiosity, but as a living movement of spiritual transformation. Written in the early postwar years, this book captures a moment when A.A. was still new enough to be widely misunderstood, yet already large enough that ministers, clergy, and religious readers were trying to understand what was happening “in the rooms.”
Taylor’s approach is compassionate and direct: he recognizes the reality of alcoholism, the desperation that drives it, and the surprising power of A.A.’s program to produce lasting change. The result is a warm, readable bridge between faith communities and A.A. experience, making this a strong collectible for anyone building a shelf of early “outside” observations of A.A., as well as those interested in the broader spiritual conversation surrounding recovery in the 1940s–1950s.
Contents / Themes
Chapters include: “Nasty, Brutish and Short: The Alcoholic,” “A Transforming Fellowship: Alcoholics Anonymous,” and “How It Works: A.A. in Action,” followed by sections exploring how religion and A.A. each look at human nature, redemption, and spiritual life.
Edition Details
- Title: A Sober Faith: Religion and Alcoholics Anonymous
- Author: G. Aiken Taylor
- Publisher: The Macmillan Company (New York)
- Year: 1953
- Printing: First Printing (stated)
- Format: Hardcover, blue cloth
- Dust Jacket: Present (original)
Condition
Book: Very good overall. Clean, solid copy with a firm binding and bright interior. Typical, light age-toning to pages. No writing or markings noted.
Dust Jacket: Good to very good. Present and complete, with edge wear, small tears/chips, and general handling wear consistent with age (see photos). Jacket remains attractive and displays well.
Please view all photos for the most accurate representation of condition.
A strong, collector-friendly example of an early, faith-forward interpretation of A.A.—and a great companion piece to other mid-century A.A./alcoholism titles from clergy, therapists, and public commentators.
