Alcoholics Anonymous — First Edition, Fourteenth Printing (July 1951) — Original Dust Jacket
Offered here is a handsome First Edition, Fourteenth Printing of Alcoholics Anonymous, published in July 1951, with its original red-and-yellow dust jacket. The navy-blue cloth, gilt spine lettering and distinctive jacket give this copy the unmistakable appearance of an original First Edition Big Book—a lasting connection to the Fellowship’s early history.
The Big Book as A.A. Came of Age
By 1951, twelve years had passed since the Big Book first appeared in April 1939. What began as a book sharing the experience of a small fellowship had become the foundational text of a growing movement. That same year, A.A.’s first General Service Conference met, an important step toward placing responsibility for the Fellowship’s services in the hands of its members.
The Fourteenth Printing belongs to this period of growth and increasing maturity. It also marks the end of a chapter in the book’s own publishing history: it was the final First Edition printing issued under the Works Publishing imprint. The Fifteenth and Sixteenth Printings, both issued in 1954, would bear the name Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc. The Works Publishing, Inc. imprint on this copy’s title page places it within that earlier publishing era.
The Voices of the First Edition
This volume preserves the First Edition’s recovery text and early personal-story selection before the expanded Second Edition appeared in 1955. Familiar chapters such as “Bill’s Story,” “We Agnostics” and “How It Works” sit alongside the experiences of the early members whose stories helped other alcoholics recognize themselves and find hope.
The photographed membership update, headed “Now We Are Thousands,” provides another connection to that history. Across the First Edition period, these updates recorded the Fellowship’s expanding reach. In a period copy, the words encountered in meetings and personal reading today remain connected to the people and circumstances from which they emerged.
For an A.A. member building a recovery library, this is part of the pleasure of owning an original First Edition: the familiar message is present in a book that was already carrying it to readers in the early 1950s.
This Copy and Its Original Jacket
The navy cloth presents attractively, with clear blind-stamped lettering on the front board and visible gilt lettering on the spine. The photographed interior pages have a clean, appealing appearance. Its original jacket retains the bold red, yellow and black design that makes these early Big Books so recognizable, giving the volume a distinctive presence on a bookshelf or in a display collection.
Publication Details
- Title: Alcoholics Anonymous
- Edition and printing: First Edition, Fourteenth Printing, July 1951
- Publisher: Works Publishing, Inc., New York City
- Printer: The Cornwall Press, Cornwall, New York; printed in the United States
- Binding: Navy-blue cloth hardcover with gilt spine lettering
- Dust jacket: Original red-and-yellow jacket
Condition
Book: The cloth shows light rubbing and wear at the corners, edges and spine ends. The endpapers and preliminary leaves have age toning and pale spotting. The photographed text pages show no prominent handwriting.
Original dust jacket: Rubbing, creasing and edge tears are present, with small chips and losses at the corners and spine ends and wear along the upper front edge. Please review the photographs, including the full jacket spread at the end of the gallery, for this copy’s condition.
Explore First Edition Big Book History
For an illustrated reference to the printings, binding variations, original dust jackets and identification points, explore our Collector’s Guide to First Edition Big Books.
For the broader story of how the book evolved alongside the Fellowship, read The First Edition Big Book: A Printing-by-Printing History (1939–1954) in our Historical Reference Center.
