Alcoholics Anonymous First Edition — 7th Printing, January 1945 | Exceptionally Rare Wartime Big Book
Offered here is an exceptionally scarce Seventh Printing of the First Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous, published by Works Publishing Inc. in January 1945.
Among the sixteen printings of the First Edition Big Book, the Seventh Printing has long been regarded by collectors as one of the most difficult to locate. 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 Alcoholics Anonymous.
The Rare Seventh Printing
The copyright page identifies this copy as the Seventh Printing, January 1945.
By this point in World War II, shortages of book paper had forced American publishers to conserve materials. Works Publishing had already reduced the weight of the paper used in the Big Book, and further restrictions would soon require a more dramatic change.
The Seventh Printing contains an unusual “IMPORTANT NOTICE” preceding the text:
“This is a war time printing and is complete and unabridged in contents.”
The notice goes on to explain that while the typeface remained unchanged, the book had been drastically reduced in size and weight to conform with government regulations for saving paper.
What makes the Seventh Printing particularly interesting is that it occupies the transition between the familiar large-format First Edition Big Book and the smaller wartime format that followed.
A Works Publishing letter dated February 12, 1945, provides remarkable contemporary documentation of what was happening. Works Publishing secretary Margaret R. Burger explained that the War Production Board had repeatedly required reductions in the weight of book paper and that further shortages now made it necessary to “sharply cut the overall size of the book by trimming margins to a minimum.”
The familiar smaller-format wartime Big Book would soon follow.
The January 1945 Seventh Printing therefore represents a brief transitional moment in the physical history of the Big Book—produced as wartime restrictions were fundamentally changing how Alcoholics Anonymous could be manufactured.
How Rare Is the Seventh Printing?
The exact number of Seventh Printings produced is not definitively known.
For many years, collectors and A.A. historians have suggested that the printing may have consisted of only a few hundred copies, with estimates sometimes placed in the range of approximately 300–500. Because definitive production records confirming this number are not known, it is best regarded as a longstanding collector estimate rather than an established print quantity.
What is considerably easier to establish is the scarcity of surviving examples.
Seventh Printings surface remarkably infrequently compared with most other First Edition printings. For collectors attempting to assemble the complete printing history of the First Edition Big Book, the Seventh is often among the most challenging volumes to acquire.
A.A. Reaches 14,000 Members
The book also documents an extraordinary period in the growth of Alcoholics Anonymous.
When the original Big Book appeared in April 1939, A.A. consisted of approximately 100 members.
Only six years later, the title page of this January 1945 printing announced:
“The Story of How More Than Fourteen Thousand Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism.”
The Seventh Printing captures A.A. at the moment the fellowship was beginning to grow on a national scale, while still operating through Works Publishing from Box 459, Grand Central Annex, New York City.
It is both a rare bibliographical variant and a physical artifact from one of the most consequential periods in early A.A. history.
Condition
This original January 1945 Seventh Printing is in good collectible condition, with a particularly clean interior.
The original dark blue-green cloth boards remain intact and display the blind-stamped “Alcoholics Anonymous” lettering across the front cover. The cloth shows general rubbing, scuffing, and age-related surface wear. There is more pronounced fading and wear along the spine, with additional wear at the corners and spine ends. The original gilt spine lettering is substantially faded but portions remain visible.
The binding remains intact and the hinges shown are holding well.
Internally, this copy presents very nicely. The pages exhibit expected uniform age toning but remain clean, legible, and well preserved. The title page, copyright page, contents, and important wartime notice are all clean and clearly readable.
The front pastedown bears the handwritten ownership notation:
“Mr. and Mrs. Alex Bodak 1751 East 30th St.”
Beneath and around the inscription is evidence of a previously removed bookplate, label, or other paper attachment, leaving an area of discoloration and residual staining.
Otherwise, the photographed interior is notably clean, without the extensive underlining or annotation sometimes encountered in surviving early Big Books.
Please examine all photographs carefully for the complete condition and character of this copy.
Collector Significance
Few individual Big Book printings combine scarcity, wartime history, and early A.A. history quite like the Seventh Printing.
Published in January 1945, bearing its unusual wartime notice and documenting A.A.’s growth to more than 14,000 men and women, it survives from the brief period immediately surrounding the transition from the traditional large First Edition format to the reduced wartime Big Book.
For the serious First Edition collector, the Seventh Printing represents one of the most elusive pieces needed to document the complete publication history of Alcoholics Anonymous.
An opportunity to acquire an original January 1945 Seventh Printing—one of the most difficult First Edition Alcoholics Anonymous Big Books to locate.
