Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book) — First Edition, First Printing (April 1939)
Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book) — First Edition, First Printing (April 1939)
Works Publishing Company · New York City · 1939
Red Cloth Binding · With Reproduction “Circus” Dust Jacket
Former Institutional Library copy from The Child Guidance Clinic
Overview
Offered here is an original First Edition, First Printing of Alcoholics Anonymous, published in April 1939 by Works Publishing Company in New York City. This is the foundational “Big Book” that launched Alcoholics Anonymous in print and helped shape recovery history around the world.
The First Printing is the earliest and most historically important edition of A.A. literature. Produced in very limited numbers, it was famously issued in an oversized format that helped give the book its enduring nickname: “The Big Book.”
This copy is housed in a high-quality reproduction of the iconic red-and-yellow “circus” dust jacket design, based on Ray Campbell’s original concept. Original first printing jackets are extremely scarce today, and the reproduction jacket gives this copy a strong display presence.
Former Child Guidance Clinic Copy
This copy is especially interesting because of its early institutional provenance. It bears an oval ownership stamp reading:
“THE CHILD GUIDANCE CLINIC”
There is also a library card pocket still adhered to the rear pastedown, with the original checkout card present. The card shows circulation dates running from March 1940 through May 1947, beginning less than one year after the book’s original publication.
This appears to have been a book circulating within a clinic, agency, or institutional professional library rather than a typical public library. The cataloging on the card lists the author as “Alcoholics Anonymous” and the title as “Anonymous,” which is consistent with the type of practical internal cataloging that might be found in a smaller institutional library.
The early circulation history is particularly compelling. The years 1940–1947 were a critical period when A.A. literature was beginning to reach physicians, psychiatrists, social workers, clergy, and other helping professionals. The presence of this Big Book in a Child Guidance Clinic suggests it may have been used by clinicians, social workers, or mental-hygiene professionals who were trying to better understand alcoholism as a family, behavioral, or psychiatric problem.
For collectors, this provenance adds a meaningful layer of history. Rather than being simply a former public library copy, this appears to be an early institutional copy that may reflect some of the first exposure professional guidance and mental-health workers had to Alcoholics Anonymous.
Why the First Printing Matters
The First Printing represents the very beginning of A.A. in print, issued when the Fellowship was still small and operating with limited resources. Collectors prize these earliest copies for their direct connection to A.A.’s founding era and for the identifying features that distinguish them from later printings.
First Printing Identification Notes
This 1939 First Printing is recognizable by classic first-printing features, including:
Red cloth binding, as all first printings were bound in red cloth
“The Doctor’s Opinion” begins on page 1, before it was moved to the Roman numeral section in later editions
The well-known typographical repetition on page 234, a first-printing error corrected in later printings
Original first-edition story lineup, including “Lone Endeavor”, the Pat Cooper/Ruth Hock story found in the First Printing only
Ray Campbell’s “An Artist’s Concept,” describing the original dust jacket design
Edition Details
Title: Alcoholics Anonymous
Edition/Printing: First Edition, First Printing
Publication Date: April 1939
Publisher: Works Publishing Company
Place: New York City
Format: Hardcover
Binding: Original red cloth
Dust Jacket: Reproduction “circus” dust jacket included
Provenance: Former institutional library copy from The Child Guidance Clinic
Condition
Overall condition is good, especially considering the scarcity and age of this 1939 First Printing.
The original red cloth boards show noticeable wear, soiling, fading, spotting, and staining consistent with age and institutional use. The front-cover gilt is present but worn and faded.
The interior is complete, with no missing pages noted. There is a handwritten name on the front page. The book contains ownership stamps from The Child Guidance Clinic at the front and rear. Pages show age-toning and signs of use.
A library card pocket remains adhered to the inside rear cover, with the original checkout card still present. The card shows circulation beginning in March 1940 and continuing through May 1947.
This copy includes a reproduction “circus” dust jacket.
Please review all photos carefully for the most accurate representation of condition.
Collector’s Note
Any First Edition, First Printing Big Book is a cornerstone piece of Alcoholics Anonymous history. This copy is made especially interesting by its early institutional provenance from The Child Guidance Clinic and its documented circulation from 1940 through 1947.
The library card and ownership stamps suggest the book was not simply part of a general public library collection, but may have circulated among professionals working in a clinic, agency, or guidance setting during the earliest years of A.A.’s growth.
A historically meaningful copy of the 1939 First Printing Big Book, connecting A.A.’s founding text not only to the Fellowship’s earliest members, but also to the professional world that was beginning to encounter Alcoholics Anonymous as a new and serious response to alcoholism.
