Alcoholics Anonymous First Edition — 7th Printing, January 1945 | Exceptional Condition
Alcoholics Anonymous — First Edition, Seventh Printing — January 1945
Wartime Big Book | Exceptional Original Condition | Reproduction Dust Jacket
Offered here is an exceptionally well-preserved First Edition, Seventh Printing of Alcoholics Anonymous, published by Works Publishing, Inc. in January 1945.
The Seventh Printing occupies a particularly interesting place in the history of the First Edition Big Book. Published during the final months of World War II, it carries the special wartime printing notice introduced during a period of government restrictions on paper and other materials.
Facing the title page is the statement:
“This is a war time printing and is complete and unabridged in contents.”
The notice explains that wartime restrictions required changes in the physical production of the Big Book while preserving the complete text.
The Seventh Printing is particularly interesting within this sequence. After the reduced-size Sixth Printing of June 1944, the January 1945 Seventh Printing returned to the larger format before the smaller wartime format appeared again with the Eighth Printing later that year.
“Now We Are Fourteen Thousand”
Perhaps the most compelling historical feature of this printing appears near the end of the book.
On page 391:
“NOW WE ARE FOURTEEN THOUSAND. JANUARY 1945”
When the Big Book was first published in April 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous consisted of approximately 100 members. Less than six years later, the Fellowship had grown to approximately 14,000 members.
That single line makes the Seventh Printing a remarkable snapshot of A.A. during one of the most important periods of its early expansion—still a young Fellowship, but no longer the small collection of groups represented by the original 1939 Big Book.
Printing History
The copyright page records the complete printing history through:
First Printing — April 1939
Second Printing — March 1941
Third Printing — June 1942
Fourth Printing — March 1943
Fifth Printing — January 1944
Sixth Printing — June 1944
Seventh Printing — January 1945
Condition
This is an exceptionally well-preserved example of the January 1945 Seventh Printing and one of the stronger-condition wartime First Edition Big Books we have encountered.
The original dark blue cloth boards remain remarkably clean with strong, deep color. The blind-stamped Alcoholics Anonymous lettering on the front board remains clearly defined, with only light rubbing and minor wear at the corners and spine extremities.
The spine retains its original gilt Alcoholics Anonymous lettering at the head and Works Publishing Company at the foot. The gilt remains readily visible, with expected age-related fading and minor fraying at the extreme head and foot.
The binding remains strong and square, with intact hinges and notably clean endpapers.
Internally, the pages are exceptionally well preserved for an 80-year-old First Edition Big Book. There is uniform age toning, but very little evidence of use and no significant inscriptions, ownership markings, or annotations visible.
The book is accompanied by a high-quality reproduction dust jacket representing the distinctive red, yellow, black, and white jacket associated with the wartime First Edition Big Books. The jacket is not original to the book.
Please review all photographs carefully for the most accurate representation of condition.
Book Details
Title: Alcoholics Anonymous
Publisher: Works Publishing, Inc., New York
Edition: First Edition
Printing: Seventh Printing
Publication: January 1945
Binding: Original dark blue cloth hardcover
Dust Jacket: Reproduction wartime dust jacket
Notable Features: Wartime printing notice; “Now We Are Fourteen Thousand — January 1945” statement
Condition: Exceptionally well preserved
Collector Significance
The Seventh Printing captures Alcoholics Anonymous at a fascinating point in its early history: wartime America, rapid growth, and a Fellowship that had expanded from approximately 100 members in 1939 to approximately 14,000 by January 1945.
While Seventh Printings do appear on the collector market, surviving examples vary dramatically in condition. The clean original cloth, strong binding, intact endpapers, attractive spine gilt, and unusually well-preserved interior distinguish this copy.
For the collector seeking a high-quality representative example of a wartime First Edition Big Book, this is an especially attractive Seventh Printing.
