1965 Alcoholics Anonymous 30th Anniversary International Convention Collection
Original Toronto Convention Program &
A.A. 30 Commemorative Book
Toronto, Ontario, Canada — July 2–4, 1965
Offered here is an original two-piece collection from Alcoholics Anonymous’ 30th Anniversary International Convention, held in Toronto, Ontario, July 2–4, 1965.
The collection brings together the hardcover commemorative volume A.A. 30: A Book About A.A.’s 30th Anniversary Year and International Convention and an original tabbed Convention Program used by an attendee during the gathering.
The Toronto Convention was A.A.’s fourth International Convention and the first held outside the United States. It is also remembered for the introduction of the Responsibility Declaration — “I am responsible…”
Original 1965 Convention Program
The distinctive fold-out program served as an attendee’s guide to the three-day convention, with tabbed sections for Information, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Guest Speakers.
Inside are schedules for General Sessions, workshops, Alkathons, Al-Anon meetings, panels, films, and other convention activities. Speakers and participants represented include Bill W., Lois W., Marty Mann, trustees, General Service representatives, and members of the medical and religious communities.
Among the notable events is the Saturday evening General Session at Maple Leaf Gardens:
“Our Responsibility to A.A.’s Future” — Lois W. and Bill W.
The program also incorporates the convention’s Responsibility Declaration. Period check marks beside selected sessions and several brief handwritten notations show that this particular example was actually used during the convention.
A.A. 30 Commemorative Book
Published for A.A.’s thirtieth anniversary and the Toronto Convention, A.A. 30 presents a photographic and historical record of the Fellowship’s first three decades.
The opening endpapers feature a world map reporting an estimated 350,000 A.A. members worldwide as of February 1965.
The book includes a greeting from Bill W. and Lois W., a message from Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, photographs and membership statistics, the history of A.A. through 1965, and retrospectives on the 1950 Cleveland, 1955 St. Louis, and 1960 Long Beach International Conventions.
Collection Details
Event: 30th Anniversary International Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Dates: July 2–4, 1965
Included: Original tabbed convention program and A.A. 30 hardcover commemorative book
Condition
Convention Program: Good to very good overall, with light age and handling wear, minor creasing, and period check marks and handwritten notations. The distinctive fold-out construction and tabbed sections remain intact.
A.A. 30: Very good overall. The textured binding remains attractive with light age and handling wear. Interior pages are well preserved. A small penciled $1.50 notation appears on the opening map/endpaper.
Please review all photographs carefully for exact condition.
Collector Significance
Together, these pieces preserve two sides of the historic 1965 Toronto Convention: A.A. 30 documents the Fellowship’s first thirty years and worldwide growth, while the original attendee-used program records the meetings, speakers, and events of the convention itself.
Copies of A.A. 30 can still be encountered individually, while original 1965 Toronto convention programs are considerably more difficult to locate. Preserved together, they form an appealing original collection from one of A.A.’s landmark International Conventions.
