A Manual for Alcoholics Anonymous “Akron Manual” - First Printing
A Manual for Alcoholics Anonymous
First Printing "Akron Manual" · Akron Group No. 1 “King School Group”
Akron Progressive Printing Co. · Early A.A. Pamphlet
Overview
Few surviving pieces of early Alcoholics Anonymous literature offer the combination of rarity, historical significance, condition, and provenance found in this example.
Offered here is an original First Printing of A Manual for Alcoholics Anonymous, the celebrated “Akron Manual” produced by Akron Group No. 1, popularly known as the King School Group—the original Alcoholics Anonymous group and the home fellowship of A.A. co-founder Dr. Robert Holbrook Smith.
Retained in this Akron Manual is a rare piece of Provenance with a business card from a Warren, Ohio Attorney containing a handwritten introduction of two men and addresses in Akron and Warren, Ohio.
This manual was created during the formative years of Alcoholics Anonymous and provides a direct look into how recovery was practiced in Akron while Dr. Bob and many of the fellowship’s earliest members were still actively participating in meetings, sponsorship, hospitalization work, and service.
Written and edited by members of Akron Group No. 1, this booklet served as a practical guide for newcomers and sponsors. It outlines how early A.A. members approached sponsorship, hospital visits, newcomer instruction, daily practice, meeting participation, and carrying the message to the next suffering alcoholic.
Historical Significance
The Akron Manual is one of the most important early printed pieces in Alcoholics Anonymous history. It reflects the direct, practical, hands-on style of Akron A.A. during the period when the program was still developing through experience rather than formal literature.
The front cover contains a remarkable statement of provenance and authority:
“This pamphlet was written and edited by members of Alcoholics Anonymous Akron Group No. 1, popularly known as the King School Group. Akron Group No. 1 is the original chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous and includes in its active membership one of the organization’s founders, the first person to accept the program, and a large number of other members whose sobriety dates back five, six and seven years. The text of this pamphlet has been approved by the membership.”
That statement alone makes this pamphlet a cornerstone piece of early A.A. collecting. It places the booklet directly within the Akron fellowship, the King School Group, and the circle surrounding Dr. Bob.
Although undated, this First Printing is best dated to circa summer 1942 based on internal evidence, including the cover reference to Akron members with five, six, and seven years of sobriety, and the inclusion of E. Stanley Jones’ 1942 book Abundant Living in the recommended reading list.
Provenance & Associated Ephemera
What distinguishes this example from virtually every other copy we have encountered is the survival of original associated ephemera.
Still attached inside the front cover by period staples is a business card with a handwritten introduction naming:
Introducing
Mr. Henry Ostrowsky
*2281 (Union?) St. Warren, O
_______
Alfred E. Goss
175 E Market St.
*Akron, Ohio
The reverse side of the business card is the information for an Attorney in Warren, Ohio:
Robert G. Day
Hoppe, Day & Ford
Attorneys at Law
Warren, Ohio
These materials appear to have remained with the manual for more than eighty years and represent part of the original ownership, referral, or contact network through which A.A. literature and personal introductions moved beyond Akron during Alcoholics Anonymous’ earliest years.
Most surviving Akron Manuals exist only as printed artifacts. This example preserves something far rarer: a tangible human connection to the individuals who carried, distributed, introduced, and used the literature.
Content & Early A.A. Practice
The manual is written as a practical guide for both the newcomer and the sponsor. It includes direct guidance on what a new member should do, how sponsors should work with prospects, the use of hospitalization, the importance of meetings, daily spiritual practice, and the responsibility of carrying the message.
The booklet also includes the Twelve Steps, the Four Absolutes, practical recovery suggestions, and space for visitor contact information—showing how early A.A. literature functioned not only as reading material, but as a working tool in sponsorship and service.
Collector’s Significance
This is a major early A.A. document with direct ties to Akron Group No. 1, the King School Group, and the living fellowship around Dr. Bob.
Its significance rests in several important areas:
Produced by the original A.A. group in Akron, Ohio
Printed during Dr. Bob’s lifetime and active service
Associated with the early sponsorship and hospitalization model of A.A.
First Printing by Akron Progressive Printing Co.
One of the most desirable early A.A. pamphlets
Enhanced by original period ephemera still attached and retained with the manual
A rare surviving example that connects printed A.A. literature with the human network that helped carry the message
Condition
This pamphlet is in very good condition with general signs of age and handling wear. The green cover remains attractive, with small stains visible on the front and back covers. The original staples are present. Interior pages are complete and well-preserved.
The white business card remains stapled to the inside front cover.
Please review all photos carefully for the most accurate representation of condition.
Final Note
A First Printing Akron Manual is already one of the truly important pieces of early Alcoholics Anonymous literature. This example, with its surviving associated card and early contact/provenance material, rises beyond the printed pamphlet itself and becomes a meaningful artifact of how A.A. was actually carried from one person, one city, and one suffering alcoholic to the next.
