Alcoholics Anonymous 1943 Big Book Promotional Pamphlet

A.A. — Early Alcoholics Anonymous Promotional Pamphlet (1943)

Alcoholic Foundation, Inc. | Price Five Cents

Publisher: The Alcoholic Foundation, Inc., New York
Publication Year: 1943
Format: Original A.A. pamphlet
Condition: Very Good

Description

Offered here is a rare early Alcoholics Anonymous promotional pamphlet, published in 1943 by The Alcoholic Foundation, Inc., A.A.’s earliest service organization and forerunner to A.A. World Services.

Printed just four years after the publication of the Big Book (1939), this pamphlet dates to a formative period when A.A. was still defining its message, structure, and outreach. These pamphlets were among the Fellowship’s primary tools for public information and growth — mailed to prospects, shared at meetings, and distributed to physicians, clergy, hospitals, and institutions nationwide.

This example represents the earliest “priced” issue of the 1943 A.A. pamphlet, marked by the inclusion of “(Price Five Cents)”, reflecting A.A.’s first move toward standardized literature distribution and modest cost recovery.

Contents

This pamphlet contains a powerful collection of early program writings and Big Book excerpts, including:

• “The Doctor’s Nightmare”

• “The European Drinker”

• “Bill’s Story”

• “Medicine, Religion, and Alcoholics Anonymous”

• Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick’s 1939 review of Alcoholics Anonymous — a landmark endorsement that helped legitimize A.A. in religious and public circles

• “Women Suffer Too” by Marty Mann

Notably, Marty Mann’s “Women Suffer Too” appears here twelve years before her story was formally added to the Big Book with the Second Edition (1955), making this pamphlet an especially important early appearance of women’s voices in A.A. literature.

Publication & Imprint Details

Front Cover: Boxed “A.A.” title printed in black ink

Imprint Line:
An A.A. Publication
Published by THE ALCOHOLIC FOUNDATION, INC.
P.O. Box 459 (Grand Central Annex), New York 17, N.Y.

Copyright Page:
Includes the Purpose and Opinion statements, followed by:
Copyright 1943 by The Alcoholic Foundation, Inc.
Printed in U.S.A.
(Price Five Cents)

Back Cover: Blank

Condition

Very Good condition. Light, even toning to covers and interior, typical of mid-1940s paper stock. Clean and complete, with no missing pages. A well-preserved example for its age.

Please review all photos for the most accurate representation of condition.

Bibliographic & Collector’s Note

This pamphlet represents the earliest priced variant of the 1943 Alcoholic Foundation issue. Earlier copies were distributed without price, while later printings evolved into reformatted editions beginning in 1944.

As such, this piece forms an important bridge between A.A.’s earliest, informal outreach literature and the more standardized publications that followed. It is highly sought by collectors of early A.A. history, recovery literature, and medical–religious ephemera.

Summary

A rare and historically significant 1943 Alcoholic Foundation A.A. pamphlet, issued during the Fellowship’s earliest period of national growth. Featuring foundational Big Book excerpts, early medical and religious commentary, and Marty Mann’s “Women Suffer Too” in its earliest appearance, this pamphlet is a cornerstone artifact of early Alcoholics Anonymous history.

An exceptional opportunity to acquire a genuine piece of A.A.’s formative years.