{"product_id":"alcoholics-anonymous-first-edition-7th-printing-1945-rare-big-book","title":"Alcoholics Anonymous First Edition — 7th Printing, January 1945 | Exceptionally Rare Wartime Big Book","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eOffered here is an exceptionally scarce \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSeventh Printing of the First Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous\u003c\/b\u003e, published by Works Publishing Inc. in January 1945\u003cb\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eAmong the sixteen printings of the First Edition Big Book, the Seventh Printing has long been regarded by collectors as \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eone of the rarest and most difficult printings to locate\u003cb\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Its scarcity, unusual physical characteristics, and place in the transition to the smaller wartime Big Book make it one of the most fascinating printings in the publication history of \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlcoholics Anonymous\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThis copy is accompanied by a \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003ereproduction dust jacket\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Rare Seventh Printing\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe Seventh Printing was published in \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJanuary 1945\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, as identified on the copyright page.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eBy this time, World War II had created severe shortages of book paper throughout the United States. Publishers were required to conserve materials, and Works Publishing had already been forced to reduce the weight of the paper used to produce \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlcoholics Anonymous\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe Seventh Printing contains an unusual \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e“IMPORTANT NOTICE”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e near the beginning of the book:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003e“This is a war time printing and is complete and unabridged in contents.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe notice explains that while the typeface remained unchanged, the book had been intended to be drastically reduced in size and weight in order to comply with government regulations for conserving paper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eYet this is what makes the Seventh Printing so interesting: \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003edespite carrying the wartime notice, the Seventh Printing remained in the larger format of the preceding First Edition Big Books\u003cb\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eA copy of a Works Publishing letter dated \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eFebruary 12, 1945\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, provides remarkable historical context for this transition. In the letter, Works Publishing secretary Margaret R. Burger explained that, because of the acute shortage of book paper and requirements of the War Production Board, the weight of the paper used in \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlcoholics Anonymous\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e had repeatedly been reduced.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eFurther reductions were now necessary, and Works Publishing announced that it would have to \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e“sharply cut the overall size of the book by trimming margins to a minimum.”\u003c\/span\u003e The same printing plates could still be used, allowing the typeface to remain readable.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe familiar smaller-format wartime Big Book would follow.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe January 1945 Seventh Printing therefore occupies a fascinating transitional position: \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eit contains the wartime notice announcing a reduced book, yet was still produced in the earlier large format immediately before the change to the smaller wartime format.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHow Rare Is the Seventh Printing?\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe exact number of Seventh Printings produced is unknown.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eFor many years, A.A. collectors and historians have suggested that only a few hundred copies may have been printed, with estimates sometimes placed at approximately \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e300–500 copies\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e. Because definitive production records confirming that number are not known, this figure should be regarded as a historical collector estimate rather than an established print quantity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eWhat is clear is the extraordinary scarcity of surviving Seventh Printings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eCompared with most other First Edition printings, they surface remarkably infrequently. For collectors attempting to assemble the complete printing history of the First Edition Big Book, the Seventh is often one of the most challenging volumes to acquire.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eA.A. Reaches 14,000 Members\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThis printing also captures Alcoholics Anonymous during a remarkable period of growth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eWhen the original Big Book appeared in April 1939, Alcoholics Anonymous consisted of approximately \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e100 members\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe title page of this January 1945 printing now reads:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p4\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e“The Story of How More Than Fourteen Thousand Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism.”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eNear the end of the book appears the important section:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p4\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e“NOW WE ARE FOURTEEN THOUSAND — JANUARY 1945.”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eIn less than six years, the small fellowship behind the original 1939 Big Book had grown from approximately 100 members to some 14,000.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe Seventh Printing therefore represents more than simply a scarce variation of the Big Book. It is a physical artifact from a brief moment when the rapidly expanding fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous was confronting the material realities of wartime America.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThis original 1945 Seventh Printing is in \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003egood collectible condition\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, showing honest evidence of age, handling, and use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe original dark cloth boards show general wear, including rubbing, scuffing, fading, and surface marks. There is additional wear and fraying at the corners and at the head and foot of the spine. The gilt \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e“Alcoholics Anonymous”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e and \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eWorks Publishing Company\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e lettering remains visible on the spine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe interior shows age toning but remains generally clean and readable. There is wear along the interior binding, particularly toward the front of the book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThere is \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eunderlining and handwritten marking throughout portions of the book\u003c\/span\u003e, including passages in the Foreword, \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Doctor’s Opinion\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eBill’s Story\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eThere Is a Solution\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eWe Agnostics\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, and \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eHow It Works\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e. These markings make clear that this was a Big Book that was actually read and studied.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe front endpaper contains a handwritten presentation inscription:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p4\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e“To Hazel Keeley from Jack Davies 11-10-67”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003ealong with additional light pencil notation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThere is also a handwritten notation at the bottom of the important \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e“Now We Are Fourteen Thousand — January 1945”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e page.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eRather than an untouched shelf copy, this is an early Big Book with the character of a volume that was \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eused, studied, underlined, and passed along\u003c\/span\u003e during its lifetime.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe book is accompanied by the attractive\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003ereproduction dust jacket shown in the photographs\u003cb\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003ePlease view all photographs carefully for the complete condition of this book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCollector Significance\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eFew individual Big Book printings combine \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003erarity, wartime history, and A.A. history\u003c\/span\u003e quite like the Seventh Printing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003ePublished in \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJanuary 1945\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, carrying its unusual wartime notice, documenting the growth of Alcoholics Anonymous to approximately \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e14,000 members\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, and appearing immediately before the transition to the reduced wartime format, the Seventh Printing occupies a brief and distinctive place in the history of \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlcoholics Anonymous\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eFor the serious First Edition Big Book collector, this is one of the printings that can prove exceptionally difficult to find.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p4\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn opportunity to acquire one of the most elusive printings of the First Edition Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Recovery Collectibles","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49948645032178,"sku":null,"price":7500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0328\/4625\/0120\/files\/C12D37DC-A213-4088-B8F0-88D7C752C02C.jpg?v=1787234194","url":"https:\/\/recoverycollectibles.com\/products\/alcoholics-anonymous-first-edition-7th-printing-1945-rare-big-book","provider":"Recovery Collectibles","version":"1.0","type":"link"}