Twenty-Four Hours a Day - Daytona Beach First Printing from 1948
Twenty-Four Hours a Day — First Printing (1948, Daytona Beach, FL)
Author: Richmond Walker
Publisher: Twenty-Four Hours a Day, P.O. Box 2170, Daytona Beach, Florida
Edition: First Printing — Original Daytona Beach Edition
Publication Year: 1948
Binding: Softcover
Condition: Excellent — minimal to no wear; clean throughout; no writing or markings
Description
This is an original 1948 first printing of Twenty-Four Hours a Day by Richmond Walker — the very first edition ever produced, printed in Daytona Beach, Florida, years before Hazelden began publishing the book in the early 1950s.
Priced originally at $1.50, this edition was distributed directly by Walker himself from his home in Daytona Beach. Early A.A. members would write to “P.O. Box 2170, Daytona Beach, Florida,” and Walker would personally wrap and mail their copies.
These first printings were produced on a small county press through the help of Wesley Parrish, an A.A. member and local county commissioner, who arranged for small-batch production so the book could be made available affordably to members seeking spiritual support in their recovery.
About the Book
Twenty-Four Hours a Day was created “for members of Alcoholics Anonymous, as a help in their program of living one day at a time.” The daily readings draw from A.A. literature and are deeply influenced by the popular Oxford Group meditation book God Calling by Two Listeners and edited by A.J. Russell.
Walker’s hope was that these meditations would help members “find the power they need to stay sober each twenty-four hours,” emphasizing the simple but profound message:
“If we don't take that first drink today, we'll never take it, because it's always today.”
Historical Background
Richmond Walker, who got sober in May 1942, originally compiled the readings on small cards for his own meditation and prayer. In 1948, members of the Daytona Beach A.A. group persuaded him to publish them in book form. The response was immediate and far-reaching — what began as a local printing soon spread across the United States and became one of the most beloved recovery devotionals ever written.
Out of deep humility, Walker refused to attach his name to the work, instead attributing it simply to “a member of the Group at Daytona Beach, Fla.” Any modest profits from the early sales were donated back to A.A.
This 1948 Daytona Beach printing represents the true genesis of Twenty-Four Hours a Day — the book that would go on to change countless lives, becoming a spiritual cornerstone for people in recovery around the world.
Condition
This copy is in excellent condition with very little to no wear.
The pages are clean, bright, and unmarked. The binding remains strong and square.
An exceptional example of one of the most important artifacts in A.A. publishing history.
Please view all photos for condition details.
A landmark piece of A.A. history — the original 1948 Daytona Beach first printing of Twenty-Four Hours a Day, privately printed by Richmond Walker before Hazelden began publication. Scarce and highly desirable among collectors of early A.A. literature.
