Alcoholics Anonymous — First Edition, First Printing — 1939
Original Red Cloth Binding | Reproduction “Circus” Dust Jacket
Offered here is an authentic First Edition, First Printing of Alcoholics Anonymous, published by Works Publishing Company in April 1939.
Approximately 4,650 copies were produced in the initial printing of what would become known throughout the world as the Big Book.
This example retains its original 1939 red cloth binding and is accompanied by a reproduction of the distinctive red-and-yellow First Printing dust jacket, commonly known among collectors as the “Circus” jacket.
The 1939 First Printing
When Alcoholics Anonymous was published in 1939, the Fellowship itself was still in its infancy.
The First Printing preserves the Big Book in its original form, before decades of subsequent printings, new editions, revised Personal Stories, and the enormous worldwide growth of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Important First Printing identification points include:
- 1939 on the title and copyright pages with no subsequent printing indicated
- Original red cloth binding
- The Doctor’s Opinion beginning on page 1
- The well-known repeated-line printing error on page 234
- Original First Edition Personal Stories, including “Lone Endeavor”
- Printed by Cornwall Press, Cornwall, New York
- Original large-format design with wide margins
These features distinguish the April 1939 First Printing from every printing that followed.
Original 1939 Binding
The book remains in its original red cloth boards, with Alcoholics Anonymous stamped in gilt on the front cover and spine.
The cloth shows considerable evidence of its more than 85 years of age and use, including staining and spotting to the boards, fading to the spine lettering, bumped corners, and wear and light fraying at the head and foot of the spine.
Condition
This copy is in Good condition overall, with wear consistent with an extensively used First Printing.
The front free endpaper is absent. The remaining text block is complete and notably well preserved, with the interior considerably cleaner than the exterior boards. The binding remains sound.
Two period newspaper clippings concerning alcoholism were affixed to the rear pastedown by a previous owner and remain with the book.
The accompanying red-and-yellow “Circus” dust jacket is a modern reproduction and is not original to the book.
Please review all photographs carefully for the most accurate representation of condition.
Book Details
Title: Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How More Than One Hundred Men Have Recovered from Alcoholism
Publisher: Works Publishing Company
Publication: April 1939
Edition: First Edition
Printing: First Printing
Printing Quantity: Approximately 4,650 copies
Printer: Cornwall Press, Cornwall, New York
Binding: Original red cloth hardcover
Dust Jacket: Reproduction First Printing “Circus” jacket
Condition: Good
Text Block: Complete
Front Free Endpaper: Absent
Collector Significance
The 1939 First Edition, First Printing represents the beginning of the published history of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Issued when A.A. was still a small and developing Fellowship, these approximately 4,650 books introduced the program and the experiences of its earliest members to a wider audience. Every subsequent Big Book printing and edition traces its history back to this original publication.
Despite the exterior wear and absent front free endpaper, this example retains two of the things that matter most in a First Printing: its original 1939 binding and complete original text block.
For the collector of Alcoholics Anonymous history, the 1939 First Printing remains the cornerstone of a Big Book collection.
