Alcoholics Anonymous First Edition — 7th Printing, January 1945 | Exceptional Condition
First Edition — Seventh Printing, January 1945
Works Publishing, Inc., New York City
Wartime Printing
Includes Reproduction Dust Jacket
Offered here is an exceptionally well-preserved Seventh Printing of the First Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous, published by Works Publishing, Inc. in January 1945.
The Seventh Printing occupies a distinctive place among First Edition Big Books. Produced during the final months of World War II, it continued the smaller-format construction introduced to comply with wartime restrictions on paper and other materials.
An “Important Notice” facing the title page explains:
“This is a war time printing and is complete and unabridged in contents.”
Although the typeface remained unchanged, the physical dimensions and weight of the book were substantially reduced to comply with government regulations for saving paper.
The copyright page identifies this copy as:
First Printing, April 1939
Second Printing, March 1941
Third Printing, June 1942
Fourth Printing, March 1943
Fifth Printing, January 1944
Sixth Printing, June 1944
Seventh Printing, January 1945
“Now We Are Fourteen Thousand”
Another identifying feature of the Seventh Printing is the historical statement appearing at page 391:
“NOW WE ARE FOURTEEN THOUSAND. JANUARY 1945”
When the Big Book first appeared in April 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous consisted of approximately 100 members, concentrated primarily around Akron and New York. By January 1945, membership had grown to approximately 14,000.
That remarkable expansion occurred in less than six years, making this printing an especially interesting snapshot of A.A. at a pivotal point in its early development.
Condition
Book: Exceptionally well preserved.
This is an unusually clean example of the January 1945 Seventh Printing and one of the better-condition wartime First Edition Big Books we have encountered.
The original dark blue cloth boards remain remarkably clean and retain strong, deep color. The blind-stamped Alcoholics Anonymous lettering on the front board remains clearly defined. There is only light rubbing and handling wear to the cloth, with minor wear at the corners and spine extremities consistent with age.
The spine remains particularly attractive, retaining the original gilt Alcoholics Anonymous lettering at the head and Works Publishing Company at the foot. The gilt remains readily visible, with only expected age-related fading. Minor fraying is present at the extreme head and foot of the spine.
The binding is strong and the book presents square and structurally sound. The hinges and endpapers remain intact and remarkably clean.
Internally, the pages are exceptionally well preserved for a wartime Big Book of this age. The paper shows uniform age toning but remains clean and attractive, with very little evidence of use visible in the photographs. There are no significant inscriptions, ownership markings, or annotations visible.
Overall, this is a very clean, remarkably well-preserved example of an original 1945 Seventh Printing. First Edition Big Books from this period frequently exhibit substantially greater exterior wear, weakened hinges, staining, writing, and general evidence of decades of use. Finding a Seventh Printing with this degree of preservation is increasingly difficult.
Dust Jacket: Includes a high-quality reproduction dust jacket representing the distinctive red, yellow, black, and white jacket associated with the wartime First Edition Big Books.
Please review all photographs carefully, as they provide the best representation of the exceptional condition of this copy.
Collector Significance
The Seventh Printing is one of the distinctive wartime printings of the First Edition Big Book and was published while Alcoholics Anonymous was still in its first decade.
Its January 1945 publication date, wartime production notice, and “Now We Are Fourteen Thousand” statement place the book at a fascinating moment in A.A. history—after the Fellowship’s dramatic expansion during the early 1940s but still years before the First Edition was replaced in 1955.
While Seventh Printings can still be found, examples surviving in this level of condition are another matter entirely.
For the collector seeking a strong representative example of a wartime First Edition Big Book, this is an exceptionally attractive copy.
