{"product_id":"aa-second-edition-sixteenth-printing-1974-original-jacket-nov7-2026","title":"Alcoholics Anonymous — Second Edition, Sixteenth Printing (1974) — Original Dust Jacket","description":"\u003cp\u003eOffered here is a Second Edition, Sixteenth Printing of \u003cem\u003eAlcoholics Anonymous\u003c\/em\u003e, published in 1974, with navy cloth and its surviving original blue dust jacket.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eThe Final Second Edition Printing\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Sixteenth Printing of 1974 closes the Second Edition printing sequence. Introduced in 1955, the edition had accompanied A.A. members through nearly two decades; the Third Edition would appear in 1976. This final printing gives a chronological collection a meaningful endpoint and preserves the form of the book before its next major story revision.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eThe Recovery Message, a Wider Fellowship\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Second Edition appeared in 1955, sixteen years after the original Big Book. Its central recovery chapters remained substantially the same, while the revised personal stories brought a wider range of A.A. experience into the book. The edition also incorporated the Twelve Traditions and additional reference material.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor a reader returning to an older Big Book, the combination can be especially meaningful: familiar passages sit beside the voices through which an earlier generation recognized its own experience. An original Second Edition is both a historical book and a connection to the meetings, sponsors and personal reading that carried its message.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eThis Copy\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe gilt spine lettering and blind-stamped front board preserve the familiar Second Edition appearance. Together with its original jacket, this volume provides a visual endpoint for a chronological collection of the edition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003ePublication Details\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTitle: Alcoholics Anonymous\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEdition and printing: Second Edition, Sixteenth Printing, 1974\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePublisher: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., New York\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBinding: Original blue cloth hardcover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDust jacket: Original Dust Jacket\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCondition\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBook:\u003c\/strong\u003e The cloth shows rubbing and wear at the corners and spine ends. Pronounced brown and yellow toning or discoloration appears on the front endpapers, with scattered spotting and lighter toning elsewhere. The photographed text is clear and legible.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOriginal Dust Jacket:\u003c\/strong\u003e Rubbing, creasing, edge tears and small losses, particularly at the corners and spine ends.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlease examine all photographs for the condition and appearance of this particular copy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eExplore Big Book History\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eRead A.A.’s \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.aa.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2021-11\/en_bigbook_forewordsecondedition.pdf\"\u003eForeword to the Second Edition\u003c\/a\u003e for the edition’s own account of the Fellowship’s growth. For the book’s earlier history, explore our \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/recoverycollectibles.com\/pages\/first-edition-big-book-collectors-guide\"\u003eCollector’s Guide to First Edition Big Books\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/recoverycollectibles.com\/blogs\/historical-reference-center\/the-first-edition-big-book-a-printing-by-printing-history-1939-1954\"\u003eFirst Edition printing-by-printing history\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Recovery Collectibles","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":69129865396466,"sku":null,"price":125.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0328\/4625\/0120\/files\/01-aa-second-edition-sixteenth-printing-1974-original-jacket-IMG_1033.jpg?v=1794041004","url":"https:\/\/recoverycollectibles.com\/products\/aa-second-edition-sixteenth-printing-1974-original-jacket-nov7-2026","provider":"Recovery Collectibles","version":"1.0","type":"link"}