{"product_id":"alcoholics-anonymous-big-book-first-edition-first-printing-april-1939","title":"Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book) — First Edition, First Printing (April 1939)","description":"\u003ch2 style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlcoholics Anonymous (Big Book) — First Edition, First Printing (April 1939)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"p3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWorks Publishing Company · New York City · 1939\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"p3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRed Cloth Binding · With Reproduction “Circus” Dust Jacket\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\" class=\"p3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormer \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eInstitutional Library copy from The Child Guidance Clinic\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eOverview\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eOffered here is an original \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eFirst Edition, First Printing\u003c\/span\u003e of \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlcoholics Anonymous\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe 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: \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e“The Big Book.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThis 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormer Child Guidance Clinic Copy\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThis copy is especially interesting because of its early institutional provenance. It bears an oval ownership stamp reading:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e“THE CHILD GUIDANCE CLINIC”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThere 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 \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eMarch 1940 through May 1947\u003c\/span\u003e, beginning less than one year after the book’s original publication.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThis 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 \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e“\u003c\/b\u003eAlcoholics Anonymous”\u003c\/span\u003e and the title as \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e“Anonymous,”\u003c\/span\u003e which is consistent with the type of practical internal cataloging that might be found in a smaller institutional library.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eFor 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy the First Printing Matters\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eFirst Printing Identification Notes\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThis 1939 First Printing is recognizable by classic first-printing features, including:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eRed cloth binding, as all first printings were bound in red cloth\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e“The Doctor’s Opinion” begins on page 1, before it was moved to the Roman numeral section in later editions\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe well-known typographical repetition on page 234, a first-printing error corrected in later printings\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eOriginal first-edition story lineup, including \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e“Lone Endeavor”\u003c\/span\u003e, the Pat Cooper\/Ruth Hock story found in the First Printing only\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eRay Campbell’s \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e“An Artist’s Concept,”\u003c\/span\u003e describing the original dust jacket design\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eEdition Details\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eTitle: \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlcoholics Anonymous\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEdition\/Printing: First Edition, First Printing\u003cbr\u003ePublication Date: April 1939\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Works Publishing Company\u003cbr\u003ePlace: New York City\u003cbr\u003eFormat: Hardcover\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Original red cloth\u003cbr\u003eDust Jacket: Reproduction “circus” dust jacket included\u003cbr\u003eProvenance: Former institutional library copy from The Child Guidance Clinic\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eOverall condition is \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003egood\u003c\/span\u003e, especially considering the scarcity and age of this 1939 First Printing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe interior is complete, with no missing pages noted. There is a handwritten name on the front page. The book contains ownership stamps from \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Child Guidance Clinic\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e at the front and rear. Pages show age-toning and signs of use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eA 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThis copy includes a reproduction “circus” dust jacket.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003ePlease review all photos carefully for the most accurate representation of condition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCollector’s Note\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAny 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eA 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Brian Couey","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49686931570930,"sku":null,"price":13000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0328\/4625\/0120\/files\/B2ED3A12-C723-43BD-9E3A-4317E29ECA79.jpg?v=1781739485","url":"https:\/\/recoverycollectibles.com\/products\/alcoholics-anonymous-big-book-first-edition-first-printing-april-1939","provider":"Recovery Collectibles","version":"1.0","type":"link"}