The 1955 A.A. International Convention Collection
HISTORIC COLLECTIONS / THE MAYFLOWER COLLECTION
Recovery · Unity · Service
The 1955 A.A.
International Convention
Collection
Twenty years of Alcoholics Anonymous.
A fellowship comes of age.
The white-band Second Edition Big Book, a presidential greeting, a history in preparation, and Bill Wilson’s signed correspondence preserve the story of St. Louis, 1955.
Original documents, inscribed books and a history in preparation mark A.A.’s twentieth-anniversary year.
ST. LOUIS · 1955FROM THE MAYFLOWER COLLECTION
1955: Alcoholics Anonymous comes of age
The St. Louis convention marked A.A.’s twentieth anniversary—a moment to reflect on its beginnings and look toward its future. The white-band Second Edition Big Book, Eisenhower’s telegram, and the prepublication A.A. Comes of Age bring together the fellowship’s expanding literature, public recognition, and the telling of its own history.
A signed letter · February 26, 1957
Bill Wilson on the making of A.A. Comes of Age
The author’s own words on memory, friendship, and the telling of A.A.’s history.
Writing to “Dear Ed” on his W. G. W. stationery, Bill thanks his correspondent for responding to A.A. Comes of Age. He explains that he dictated the account largely from memory and welcomes corrections that could bring it closer to the events themselves.
“I am especially thankful to have your comments on what the facts really were.”Bill Wilson to Ed · February 26, 1957
Signed “Bill” and presented beside his portrait, the letter connects the published history with the personal work behind it. Collection records identify the recipient as Eddie Reilly; the letter itself addresses him as Ed.
Explore the letter & close-up photographs →Explore the story & 2 photographs
This is the letter’s central importance: it records A.A.’s co-founder confronting the limits of his own recollection while the Fellowship’s early history was being prepared for publication. Wilson promises to try to bring the account more closely into line with the events that concerned Eddie, while explaining the constraints of a volume of this size and purpose. The exchange gives a reader something a finished book cannot—the author’s own account of the history being revised.
The letter also turns from editorial matters to recovery and friendship. Wilson writes that Eddie’s comeback inspires him and recalls seeing him again at Dr. Bob’s. He invites a New York visit, explains how to get past the office’s protective arrangements, and names his secretary, Nell Wing, as someone who knows Eddie. The final paragraph offers a personal telephone contact and a characteristically informal invitation to call collect.
Collection records identify the recipient as Eddie Reilly, one of the early Akron men whom Bill and Dr. Bob attempted to help. The letter addresses him as Ed and is framed beside a portrait of Wilson.
- Author
- Bill Wilson; signed “Bill” above the typed name
- Recipient
- “Dear Ed”; identified as Eddie Reilly in the collection records
- Date and stationery
- February 26, 1957 · W. G. W., New York
- Presentation
- Framed beside a portrait of Bill Wilson
Read the letter
W. G. W.
BOX 459 GRAND CENTRAL ANNEX
NEW YORK 17, N. Y.
February 26, 1957
Dear Ed,
I was deeply affected by your words about the new book, “A.A. Comes of Age” and all memories that it evoked and made clear. As you probably can see, I did this document by dictation and mostly off the top of my head. Though the basic line of it is okay there are innumerable corrections and omissions which ought to be caught up. So, therefore, I am especially thankful to have your comments on what the facts really were.
Unfortunately, in a volume of this size and purpose, a pretty sharp limit has to be set on what goes in. But with the facts you sent me, I will try to adjust the thing more in line with the actual events that pertain to you. And I hope you will like whatever change in emphasis it is possible to make. You can depend upon me to do my best.
You must know, Ed, how much your comeback inspires me. I’ll never forget the day, after all those years, that I saw you at Dr. Bob’s.
Next time you come to New York, tell the people at the office that you are calling at my personal request. As you may be sure I have to put a fence around myself. The girls in the office react the way they do on this account and additionally because any number of A.A.’s come through with all sorts of tall stories. But if you tell them I personally wrote you and asked you, there won’t be any difficulty. You might ask for my secretary, Nell Wing. She knows exactly who you are.
Looking now at the date of your letter, I expect you have come and gone, again. I had to go to the West Coast to look after a full length television show now is in preparation to be produced by NBC in the fall.
When you next think of coming down, give me a little advance notice and I will try to make a firm date. Please use my telephone number here at the house – Katonah 4-1422. Make the call collect as I don’t pay the bill anymore!
Affectionately yours,
[Signed] Bill
Bill
WGW/nw
BOX 459 GRAND CENTRAL ANNEX
NEW YORK 17, N. Y.
February 26, 1957
Dear Ed,
I was deeply affected by your words about the new book, “A.A. Comes of Age” and all memories that it evoked and made clear. As you probably can see, I did this document by dictation and mostly off the top of my head. Though the basic line of it is okay there are innumerable corrections and omissions which ought to be caught up. So, therefore, I am especially thankful to have your comments on what the facts really were.
Unfortunately, in a volume of this size and purpose, a pretty sharp limit has to be set on what goes in. But with the facts you sent me, I will try to adjust the thing more in line with the actual events that pertain to you. And I hope you will like whatever change in emphasis it is possible to make. You can depend upon me to do my best.
You must know, Ed, how much your comeback inspires me. I’ll never forget the day, after all those years, that I saw you at Dr. Bob’s.
Next time you come to New York, tell the people at the office that you are calling at my personal request. As you may be sure I have to put a fence around myself. The girls in the office react the way they do on this account and additionally because any number of A.A.’s come through with all sorts of tall stories. But if you tell them I personally wrote you and asked you, there won’t be any difficulty. You might ask for my secretary, Nell Wing. She knows exactly who you are.
Looking now at the date of your letter, I expect you have come and gone, again. I had to go to the West Coast to look after a full length television show now is in preparation to be produced by NBC in the fall.
When you next think of coming down, give me a little advance notice and I will try to make a firm date. Please use my telephone number here at the house – Katonah 4-1422. Make the call collect as I don’t pay the bill anymore!
Affectionately yours,
[Signed] Bill
Bill
WGW/nw
The collection in Mike’s words
A guided look at the collection.
Mike presents the objects and explains their connections to the 1955 convention and the preparation of A.A. Comes of Age.
The convention, photographed
Inside Kiel Auditorium. July 1955.
The date and venue are preserved on these panoramic images: Saturday night, July 2, and Sunday afternoon, July 3, 1955. Seen alongside the books and correspondence, they place the collection in the gathering that brought the Fellowship together.
Historical images from the Recovery Collectibles / Recovery Speakers archive. Shown for context; separate original photographic prints are not included in the collection inventory.
The principal objects
The new edition. The telegram.
The prepublication history.
Alongside Bill Wilson’s signed letter, these three pieces anchor the convention collection. Explore each object’s story and its photographic record.
1955 · SECOND EDITION · BILL WILSON INSCRIPTION
The white-band Big Book
Inscribed by Bill Wilson to Grace, New York, Christmas 1955.
The 1955 Second Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous, with its white promotional band, brings a personal dedication into the story of A.A.’s twentieth-anniversary year.
The inscription appears to recall Bill’s own twenty-first sobriety-anniversary celebration. The full transcription and photographic record are presented on the individual book page.
The band draws attention to the new and revised edition, including its new personal stories. Together, the jacket, band and handwritten dedication distinguish this copy within the collection.
Explore this item →July 1, 1955
The Eisenhower telegram
Presidential recognition at the moment the Fellowship assumed responsibility for its future.
Addressed to Alcoholics Anonymous, Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis, Missouri, the Western Union message carries a greeting from President Dwight D. Eisenhower on the opening date of the 1955 convention. Its dateline identifies the White House in Washington. The familiar telegram heading and compact transmitted text give a physical form to a message intended for the assembled Fellowship.
Explore this item →Explore the story & 1 photograph
Eisenhower’s words move beyond a ceremonial wish for a successful meeting. He singles out A.A.’s growth and service and places its work alongside efforts to address serious personal and public health problems. In a collection concerned with A.A.’s coming of age, the telegram supplies the outside view: recognition of the Fellowship’s contribution from the President of the United States.
Its relevance is specific to this gathering. The message names the twentieth anniversary and is addressed to the convention venue; it is not a general statement of support later associated with the occasion. Read beside Bill Wilson’s private letter, it creates a striking change in scale—from public recognition of A.A. to the intimate work of remembering how it began.
- Sender
- Greeting attributed in the message to President Dwight D. Eisenhower
- Dateline
- The White House, Washington, D.C.
- Recipient
- Alcoholics Anonymous, Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis
- Format
- Original Western Union telegram
Read the presidential message
THE WHITE HOUSE WASHINGTON DC
JULY 1 1955
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
KIEL AUDITORIUM ST LOUIS MO
PLEASE CONVEY TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATE IN YOUR TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY GATHERING MY GOOD WISHES FOR A SUCCESSFUL MEETING. YOUR SOCIETY’S RECORD OF GROWTH AND SERVICE IS AN INSPIRATION TO THOSE WHO THROUGH RESEARCH, PERSEVERANCE AND FAITH, MOVE FORWARD TO THE SOLUTION OF MANY SERIOUS PERSONAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEMS.
DWIGHT D EISENHOWER
JULY 1 1955
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
KIEL AUDITORIUM ST LOUIS MO
PLEASE CONVEY TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATE IN YOUR TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY GATHERING MY GOOD WISHES FOR A SUCCESSFUL MEETING. YOUR SOCIETY’S RECORD OF GROWTH AND SERVICE IS AN INSPIRATION TO THOSE WHO THROUGH RESEARCH, PERSEVERANCE AND FAITH, MOVE FORWARD TO THE SOLUTION OF MANY SERIOUS PERSONAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEMS.
DWIGHT D EISENHOWER
1957
The confidential prepublication copy
An editorial version of A.A. Comes of Age, explicitly marked confidential and circulated on loan.
The blue-green cover announces its purpose plainly: “Confidential” above the title A. A. Comes of Age, with “Pre-publication Copy” and the date 1957 below. Inside, a notice identifies the manuscript as the property of Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc., prohibits publication, and describes it as a loan copy intended to assist the editors. The handwritten number 248 is visible on a preliminary page; it is not, by itself, evidence of the size of the printing.
Explore this item →Explore the story & 17 photographs
The preliminary material explains the book’s intended structure. A panoramic account of the St. Louis gathering is followed by Bill’s expanded historical talks on Recovery, Unity and Service. A further section presents the perspectives of friends of the Fellowship, including physicians, clergy and the chairman of the General Service Board. The prepublication copy therefore belongs directly to the effort to turn the convention and A.A.’s first two decades into a durable historical account.
A.A.’s own retrospective account of the book’s preparation describes a draft being sent to early members, friends and professionals for criticism. This copy’s loan notice gives material evidence of that editorial purpose.
Its relationship to the Reilly letter is especially useful for interpretation. One object preserves a history in preparation; the other records Wilson responding to a reader’s corrections. Displayed together, they illuminate the same process. The available records do not establish that Eddie handled this particular loan copy or that it accompanied his letter.
- Cover wording
- Confidential / A. A. Comes of Age / Pre-publication Copy / 1957
- Editorial notice
- Property of Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc.; loan copy for the editors
- Photographic record
- 17 photographs: cover, preliminary leaves, foreword and selected text
- Visible features
- Complete copy with blue-green covers, visible edge wear and staining
Read the editorial loan notice
“This manuscript is the property of Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc. Not for publication in any part, this is a loan copy only, intended for the assistance of the editors.”
The associated volumes
The published history — and the personal inscriptions.
Published editions and inscribed copies carry the story beyond the convention. Their individual printing statements, dedications and accompanying records distinguish each book.
1955
The Al-Anon Family Groups
Al-Anon’s first hardcover book, introduced at the same St. Louis convention.
The Al-Anon Family Groups: A Guide for the Families of Problem Drinkers broadens the collection beyond the alcoholic’s own experience. Al-Anon’s official timeline confirms that its first hardcover book was introduced at the 1955 A.A. International Convention in St. Louis. It records five Al-Anon workshops at that gathering, including one concerning children of alcoholics.
Explore this item →Explore the story & 2 photographs
This is a direct connection between the book and the event around which the collection is organized. Its inclusion allows the story of 1955 to encompass the families developing a fellowship and literature of their own, alongside A.A.’s growth and assumption of responsibility for world services.
The collection records describe this unsigned volume as a 1955 first printing with its original dust jacket. The photographs show the blue-and-cream jacket and title page.
- Full title
- The Al-Anon Family Groups: A Guide for the Families of Problem Drinkers
- Printing
- 1955 first printing, as described in the collection records
- Jacket and signatures
- Original dust jacket described; unsigned copy
- Convention connection
- Introduction in St. Louis confirmed by Al-Anon’s official timeline
1957
The Harper & Brothers edition
The green-jacket Harper edition provides a published counterpart to the confidential editorial copy.
The Harper & Brothers edition of Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age: A Brief History of A.A. provides a useful counterpart to the prepublication manuscript. The photographed title page names Harper & Brothers, New York, while the green jacket and contrasting binding distinguish it visually from the A.A. Publishing copies.
Explore this item →Explore the story & 8 photographs
Harper’s edition was intended for the book trade, while the A.A. Publishing edition served readers within the Fellowship. The collection can therefore show the historical account moving from a confidential editorial document into published forms addressed to different audiences.
The copyright page supplies the copy’s bibliographical details: FIRST EDITION / H-G, with a 1957 copyright date. Its title page names Harper & Brothers, New York.
An additional photograph records a label reading “From the Private Library of Rev. William E. Lundberg”, dated September 23, 1959. The label records a specific ownership association. Photographs show the jacket, boards, spine, title and copyright pages.
- Publisher
- Harper & Brothers, New York
- Edition statement
- FIRST EDITION / H-G; copyright 1957, photographed
- Ownership marking
- Rev. William E. Lundberg private-library label; September 23, 1959
- Photographic record
- Eight photographs, including the copyright page and ownership label
Book: 1957 · inscription: December 1965
The Bill Wilson-inscribed copy
A personal inscription, signed with Wilson’s full name, extends the story beyond publication.
The collection records describe this A.A. Publishing copy of A.A. Comes of Age as a 1957 first printing. Its most revealing feature is the inscription addressed to Kenneth Erie, thanking him for his interest in A.A. and expressing Wilson’s deep gratitude. It closes “Ever Yours” and is signed “Bill Wilson”, with a New York, December 1965 date.
Explore this item →Explore the story & 3 photographs
Wilson’s full-name signature is clearly visible in the photograph. The dedication records his gratitude for the recipient’s interest in A.A.; it does not identify Kenneth’s role or establish whether he belonged to the Fellowship.
In the collection’s sequence, this volume records a later personal exchange around the completed history. The photographs show the inscription, dust jacket and binding in detail.
- Edition description
- 1957 first printing, as described in the collection records
- Inscribed to
- Kenneth Erie
- Signature and date
- Bill Wilson · NY / Dec 65
- Available views
- Inscription, front jacket, and open jacket with boards
Read Bill’s inscription
Dear Kenneth Erie
For your interest in us of AA, my deep gratitude –
Ever Yours
Bill Wilson
NY / Dec 65
For your interest in us of AA, my deep gratitude –
Ever Yours
Bill Wilson
NY / Dec 65
At a glance
The collection
| Object | Description |
|---|---|
| Eisenhower convention telegram | Original telegram · July 1, 1955 · addressed to Alcoholics Anonymous, Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis |
| Bill Wilson’s letter to Ed | February 26, 1957 · typed letter signed “Bill” · framed with portrait |
| Confidential prepublication A.A. Comes of Age | 1957 · complete editorial loan copy · handwritten number 248 visible |
| White-band Second Edition Big Book | 1955 · Second Edition · white promotional band · inscribed by Bill Wilson to Grace, NY / Xmas 55 |
| The Al-Anon Family Groups | 1955 first printing as documented · unsigned · dust jacket |
| Harper & Brothers A.A. Comes of Age | FIRST EDITION / H-G · 1957 copyright · dated Lundberg private-library label |
| Bill Wilson-inscribed A.A. Comes of Age | 1957 first printing · inscribed to Kenneth Erie · signed Bill Wilson · NY / December 1965 |
Private acquisition
The 1955 A.A. International Convention Collection
A connected group of documents and books from the Mayflower Collection. Contact Tim Fitzpatrick for additional photographs, collection documentation and acquisition details.
$195,000
Collection asking price. Offered as a complete collection.
Historical context: Alcoholics Anonymous official history · Al-Anon World Service Office timeline. Object details are drawn from the photographed materials and collection records.
