Alcoholics Anonymous First Edition — Fourth Printing (March 1943) - Green Cloth Variant With Original Dust Jacket

Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book)

First Edition — Fourth Printing (March 1943)

Green Cloth Variant | Works Publishing Company | Original Dust Jacket

Overview

Offered here is an authentic First Edition, Fourth Printing (March 1943) of Alcoholics Anonymous—the original “Big Book” printed during the heart of the wartime growth years, when the Fellowship’s membership totals (and the book itself) were changing quickly from printing to printing.

This copy is the green cloth variant and is accompanied by its original dust jacket—a major point of collector value for any early First Edition Big Book.

Why the Fourth Printing Matters

By early 1943, Alcoholics Anonymous was expanding at a pace the earliest members could hardly have imagined. The Fourth Printing captures that moment in real time, including one of the most meaningful “growth marker” changes in the early text:

• In “There Is a Solution” (p. 27) the language advances again—now reflecting “thousands of men and women…” (a step beyond the Third Printing’s “hundreds…”).

• The membership page continues the running update: in this printing, p. 391 reads “Now We Are Eight Thousand.”

First Edition Big Books are a moving target—each printing is a snapshot of A.A. at a specific stage of growth, and the Fourth Printing is one of the clearest examples of that evolution.

Edition / Printing Identification

Publisher: Works Publishing Company, New York City

Copyright page: lists First Printing (April 1939), Second Printing (March 1941), Third Printing (June 1942), Fourth Printing (March 1943)

Title page date: 1943

Jacket: identifies Fourth Printing on the spine

Condition

Book (Green Cloth): Excellent overall for an early First Edition printing. Green cloth remains clean and strong, with only light, honest handling wear. Spine gilt is bright and highly legible. Binding appears tight and solid.

Interior: Pages appear clean and well-preserved. No writing or markings are visible.

Dust Jacket (Original): Original jacket is present and complete, with noticeable edge wear and small tears consistent with age. Some rubbing/soiling and chipping along extremities, especially at the edges and corners.

Please review all photos closely—especially the jacket edges and the interior boards/endpapers—for the most accurate condition details.

Collector Notes

A First Edition Fourth Printing with its original dust jacket remains a highly desirable early Big Book—jackets from this period were frequently discarded or damaged. The green cloth variant is especially appealing for collectors building a cloth-and-printing sequence across the First Edition years.