Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age — First Edition, First Printing (1957) Harper & Brothers Issue — Original Dust Jacket
Offered here is a 1957 First Edition, First Printing of Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age in the scarce Harper & Brothers issue, complete with its original dust jacket.
The copyright page is correctly marked:
FIRST EDITION H-G
and the title page states:
Harper & Brothers, New York By Arrangement with Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc.
As with Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, A.A.’s relationship with Harper created a fascinating parallel publishing history. Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc. retained ownership of the work, while Harper brought the book into the commercial book trade and placed A.A.’s story before a broader public audience.
For collectors, the Harper issue is immediately distinctive and considerably less commonly encountered than the A.A. Publishing version.
The Story of A.A. “Coming of Age”
Published in 1957, Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age tells the story of the Fellowship’s development from its earliest years through the historic 1955 St. Louis Convention, when Alcoholics Anonymous formally transferred responsibility for its world services from its founders and early trustees to the Fellowship through the General Service Conference structure.
That event gave the book its title.
“Coming of age” did not suggest that A.A. believed it had reached some final state of maturity. Rather, it marked the point at which the Fellowship accepted responsibility for its own future.
The book combines Bill W.’s account of A.A.’s development with the story of its Three Legacies:
Recovery — Unity — Service
It also preserves the perspectives of several enormously important friends of Alcoholics Anonymous, including:
- Dr. Harry M. Tiebout
- Dr. W. W. Bauer
- Father Edward Dowling, S.J.
- Rev. Samuel Shoemaker
- Bernard B. Smith
Together, their contributions document the medical, religious, professional, and organizational relationships that helped shape Alcoholics Anonymous during its formative decades.
The Harper & Brothers Issue
This copy is the Harper & Brothers version, produced for the wider commercial market rather than A.A.’s internal distribution network.
Several features identify the Harper issue:
- Title page bearing the Harper & Brothers imprint
- Statement “By Arrangement with Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc.”
- Harper “H-B” publisher device on the title page
- Copyright page marked “FIRST EDITION H-G”
- Teal/green boards with a black cloth spine
- Gold spine lettering and Harper at the foot
- Harper emblem stamped on the front board
- Original green, blue, and white Harper dust jacket
- Original jacket price of $4.00
The jacket also promotes the book specifically to readers outside the Fellowship, describing it as the story of a movement then numbering approximately 200,000 members and emphasizing its historical and social significance.
That commercial presentation makes the Harper issue particularly enjoyable to compare with the edition distributed directly through Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc.
Condition
This copy retains its original 1957 Harper & Brothers dust jacket.
The jacket shows noticeable age and use, including rubbing, edge wear, small chips and short tears, creasing, and scattered surface marks. There is a larger area of paper loss or abrasion near the lower left corner of the front panel. The jacket also shows adhesive or tape residue/staining on portions of the flaps and rear panel. Despite the wear, the jacket remains substantially complete and retains strong color and good overall presentation.
The book itself remains solid and attractive. The teal boards retain strong color, with light surface wear and some corner wear. The black cloth spine remains intact, and the gold lettering is clearly readable. The front board retains the Harper emblem.
The endpapers show considerable age-related spotting and staining, including multiple circular and irregular areas of discoloration. There is also evidence of old adhesive or tape contact.
Interior pages show general age toning consistent with the period. The title, contents, and copyright pages remain clearly legible, including the important H-G First Edition designation.
The binding appears sound.
Please review all photographs carefully for the exact condition of this copy.
A Major Book in A.A. History — In a Scarce Publishing Variant
Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age is one of the central historical works of the Fellowship.
Where the Big Book documented the recovery program and the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions explored the principles behind personal recovery and group unity, A.A. Comes of Age told the story of how Alcoholics Anonymous itself developed, survived, organized, and ultimately assumed responsibility for its own future.
The Harper & Brothers First Printing adds another dimension to that history. It represents A.A.’s continuing effort to reach readers beyond the Fellowship through established commercial publishing channels.
With its H-G First Edition designation, distinctive Harper binding, and original dust jacket, this is an important and increasingly difficult-to-find variant for collectors of early Alcoholics Anonymous literature and publishing history.
