Alcoholics Anonymous Second Edition — First Printing (1955) | Reproduction Dust Jacket

Offered here is an authentic First Printing of the Second Edition (1955) of Alcoholics Anonymous—the Big Book—a landmark edition representing one of the most important transitions in the publishing history of Alcoholics Anonymous.

The Second Edition was introduced in conjunction with A.A.’s 1955 International Convention in St. Louis, twenty years after the meeting of Bill W. and Dr. Bob that marked the beginning of Alcoholics Anonymous. By this point, the small Fellowship represented by the original 1939 Big Book had developed into an international movement with nearly 6,000 groups and more than 150,000 members.

While the basic recovery text remained substantially unchanged, the personal-story section was extensively revised to better represent the rapidly expanding Fellowship. The result was a Big Book that preserved the message carried by the First Edition while documenting an entirely new generation of Alcoholics Anonymous.

This copy is an original 1955 First Printing, published by Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc., and is accompanied by a reproduction of the original-style Second Edition dust jacket for protection and display.

Why the 1955 Second Edition Matters

When Alcoholics Anonymous was originally published in 1939, the Fellowship consisted of only a small number of recovering alcoholics. Sixteen years later, A.A. had spread throughout the United States and into numerous countries around the world.

That tremendous growth created a practical need for a revised Big Book. While the program of recovery remained substantially unchanged, many of the original personal stories no longer reflected the increasingly broad membership of Alcoholics Anonymous.

For the Second Edition, the personal-story section was substantially rebuilt with accounts representing alcoholics from a wider range of backgrounds, professions, ages, circumstances, and geographic areas.

The Second Edition therefore became much more than simply another printing of the Big Book. It was A.A.’s first major revision of its foundational book and a physical record of the Fellowship’s transformation from a small American movement into an international organization.

Identifying the First Printing

The earliest Second Edition Big Books can be challenging to identify because the first several printings do not simply state their printing number on the copyright page.

This copy contains the important characteristics associated with the 1955 First Printing, including:

• The title page identifies Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc., New York City, and is dated 1955.
• The copyright page states “Second Edition, New and Revised, 1955.”
• The copyright page retains the early Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing identification.
• On page xx, the well-known First Printing typographical error “realy” appears in the passage concerning alcoholics who came to A.A. and really tried.
• The Foreword retains the original 1955 references to A.A.’s growth to nearly 6,000 groups and more than 150,000 recovered alcoholics.

Together, these points identify this volume as an original First Printing of the Second Edition.

A Book From A.A.’s Era of Explosive Growth

One of the fascinating aspects of the Second Edition is that its introductory material captures Alcoholics Anonymous at a precise moment in its development.

The new Foreword describes the Fellowship as having grown to nearly 6,000 groups and more than 150,000 recovered alcoholics in the sixteen years following publication of the original Big Book.

The Second Edition also preserved the Foreword to the First Edition, allowing readers to see the remarkable contrast between the tiny Fellowship that introduced itself to the world in 1939 and the organization A.A. had become by 1955.

Other additions and revisions reflected the same maturation. Expanded supporting material and the inclusion of the Twelve Traditions documented principles developed through A.A.’s formative years to help maintain the unity of a rapidly growing Fellowship.

For collectors, the First Printing of the Second Edition occupies an important position between the pioneering First Edition era and the later development of the Big Book.

Edition Details

Title: Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism
Edition: Second Edition — New and Revised
Printing: First Printing
Year: 1955
Publisher: Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc.
Place: New York City
Printer: The Cornwall Press, Inc., Cornwall, New York
Binding: Original blue cloth hardcover
Dust Jacket: Reproduction dust jacket; original jacket is not present

Condition

Book: Good condition overall, with a strong and attractive appearance for an original 1955 First Printing.

The original blue cloth boards retain good color and show general shelf wear, rubbing, and light handling marks. There is visible wear and some fraying at the corners and along the extremities.

The spine remains structurally sound and retains its gilt Alcoholics Anonymous and A.A. Publishing Inc. lettering. The spine cloth shows noticeable fading and rubbing, particularly through the center and along the head and foot, with wear and light fraying at both ends.

The front pastedown bears a previous owner’s handwritten name and the date 1956, adding a period ownership mark from very early in the life of the book. The facing free endpaper shows a rectangular area of discoloration consistent with something having previously been affixed or stored against the page.

The interior remains complete and readily readable with expected age toning. There are scattered areas of spotting, foxing, and discoloration, including visible marks on the copyright and contents pages and occasional spots elsewhere in the preliminary material. The pages shown remain generally clean and the printed text is clear throughout.

The binding remains intact and the book presents well as an original, genuinely used example from the earliest year of the Second Edition.

Dust Jacket: A clean reproduction of the original 1955 Second Edition jacket is included. It is not original to the book but provides protection and recreates the classic appearance of the First Printing for display.

Please review all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description and show the exact copy being offered.

Collector’s Note

The 1955 First Printing of the Second Edition Big Book is one of the cornerstone volumes in an advanced Alcoholics Anonymous collection.

It captures A.A. at a defining moment—twenty years after its beginnings, sixteen years after publication of the original Big Book, and at the point when the Fellowship had grown large enough that its foundational book needed to reflect an entirely new generation of recovering alcoholics.

For collectors assembling the major editions and printings of Alcoholics Anonymous, the Second Edition, First Printing represents an essential milestone in the history of the Big Book and the worldwide growth of A.A.