First Issue - Alcoholics Anonymous Second Edition First Printing from 1955 with ODJ
This is the First Issue of the Alcoholics Anonymous Second Edition First Printing from 1955 with the Original Dust Jacket.
This is the very special first issue of the Second Edition book that was released at the 1955 International Convention in St. Louis. This copy no longer has the “white band” with the book but can be identified as a first issue by the text on the back flap of the dust jacket. The jacket flap contains this extra paragraph of text:
“This book may be ordered from the publisher upon a free examination basis. Examine for seven days and if not satisfied that the book will be helpful return and money (including postage) will be refunded.”
This paragraph was only present on the dust jackets for the first printings released at the 1955 International Convention.
The first three printings of the second edition do not feature a printing number on the copyright page of the books which can make it a little more difficult to identify which printing this book truly is. Fortunately there are ways to authenticate this specific book as a 1st printing of the second edition.
The first indicator to look at in identifying printing numbers of the second edition is to notice the different markings on the dust jacket. If the dust jacket is labeled as a "Second Edition" on the cover and labeled as published by "A.A. Pub, Inc." on the spine and back flap, it is a first or second printing of the second edition dust jacket. If it is labeled as a "Third Edition" on the cover and labeled as published by "A.A. Pub, Inc." on the spine and back flap, it is a third printing of the second edition dust jacket.
To verify the printing number of the book, look at the spine of the book and title page to identify if the book was published by "Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc."(A.A. Pub. Inc, for short) or published by "Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc." If the book is published by "Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc.", it is a first, second, or third printing of the second edition. If it is published by "Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc." it is a fourth through sixteenth printing.
If the book is published by "Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc.", the next step is to look at page “xx”, line 6, if the word “really” is spelled incorrectly and spelled “realy” then the book would be a first printing of the second edition. The first printing was first published in 1955 and released at the AA International Convention in St. Louis.
The first and second printings are entirely identical to each other with exception for the spelling of the word "really" on page "xx".
If the word "really" is spelled correctly on page "xx", then one more step is needed to identify which printing of the second edition a book is. The answer is on page 16, by reading the asterisk at the bottom of the page. If the asterisk reads "AA is now composed of nearly 6000 groups (1955).", then the book is a second printing of the second edition. The book can be identified as a third printing if the asterisk reads "AA is now composed of some 7,000 groups (1959)."
When verifying the printing of this book with the information above, you can notice the different markings on the dust jacket and inside the book that authenticates this as a First Issue 1st Printing of the 2nd Edition. The dust jacket on this book shows that it was labeled as a "Second Edition" and printed by A.A Pub. Inc on the spine. Included on the back flap of the dust jacket is the extra paragraph of text. On page “xx” line 6, the word “really” is spelled incorrectly as “realy.”. On page 16, the asterisk reads "AA is now composed of nearly 6000 groups (1955)."
Here is some historical information about the Second Edition of the Big Book:
“Originally published in 1939, when membership of the A.A. Fellowship was less than one hundred, the first edition of this book has now gone through more than 300,000 copies.
To members, old and new, certain facts about our second edition may be of interest.
Of course, the basic text itself, page 1 to page 165, remains substantially unchanged. To the minds of most A.As, this should stand as first written.
But the front matter has been re-edited and enlarged, including an historical sketch.
Additional recommendations from religion and medicine are given.
A larger Appendix records the A.A. Tradition, and also shows how A.A. can best be reached from any part of the world.
The Personal Story Section has, however, been much revised to meet the needs of an A.A. membership grown from 100 to more than 150,000.
To afford readers a better view of our present membership, the Story Section of this edition now comprises thirty-seven case histories, an addition of 110,000 words of completely new material.
Special attention is drawn to Part II of the stories entitled, "They Stopped in Time".
These will be of particular interest to all who wonder whether they are alcoholics and if A.A. is for them.
This work is authorized by the General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous in the confident hope that a new milestone has been erected upon the road of A.A. progress.”
Another notable and historical note about anonymity is present on the dust jacket of all Second Edition books:
“If you wish to preserve complete personal anonymity when carrying this book, just turn this jacket inside out. It has been especially designed for your convenience.”
—
This book is in good condition. The cover has some minor wear. There is small pencil writing on the first blank page of the book. There is no other writing or markings in the book. There is a stain to the outer page edges at the bottom of the book. The dust jacket has experienced wear with tears to the front cover and torn down the spine.
Please view all the photos for the conditions!