Alcoholics Anonymous — Second Edition, 8th Printing 1966 | Original Dust Jacket
Offered here is an Eighth Printing of the Second Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous, published in 1966, complete with its original dust jacket.
The Second Edition Big Book was first introduced in 1955, replacing the First Edition after sixteen printings. While the basic text of Alcoholics Anonymous remained substantially unchanged, the Second Edition reflected the extraordinary growth of the Fellowship during its first twenty years. Its personal-story section was extensively revised and expanded to better represent an A.A. membership that had grown from fewer than 100 members when the Big Book was originally published in 1939 to hundreds of thousands by the Second Edition era.
This Eighth Printing dates from 1966, placing it within the middle period of the Second Edition, which remained in publication until it was replaced by the Third Edition in 1976.
Original 1966 Dust Jacket
An important feature of this copy is the survival of its original dust jacket.
The bottom of the rear jacket flap carries the printing code:
50M-6/66(C)
This jacket code corresponds with the Eighth Printing of the Second Edition and helps establish that the jacket is period-correct for this printing.
Original Second Edition jackets are particularly important to collectors because they were inherently vulnerable to wear, loss and disposal. Many surviving Second Edition Big Books are now encountered without their jackets or with later replacement jackets.
The jacket also retains one of the more interesting features of Second Edition Big Books—the anonymity notice explaining that the jacket could be turned inside out when carrying the book in public:
“If you wish to preserve complete personal anonymity when carrying this book, just turn this jacket inside out.”
The reversible jacket concept is a distinctive artifact of A.A.’s culture of anonymity during this period.
The Second Edition Big Book
The Second Edition marked an important transition in the history of Alcoholics Anonymous.
The familiar first 164 pages continued to preserve the program and basic text developed during A.A.‘s earliest years, while the introductory material, appendices and personal stories were revised to reflect the Fellowship’s rapid expansion.
For collectors, the individual printings of the Second Edition provide a chronological record of the Big Book as A.A. developed from a relatively young American fellowship into an increasingly established international organization.
Book Details
Title: Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism
Edition: Second Edition
Printing: Eighth Printing
Year: 1966
Publisher: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc.
Binding: Hardcover
Dust Jacket: Original Dust Jacket
Jacket Code: 50M-6/66(C)
Condition
This copy is in very good condition for its age, with its original 1966 dust jacket present.
The dust jacket shows age and use, including edge wear, rubbing and scattered staining. Despite the wear, the jacket remains substantially intact and presents well with the book.
The hardcover itself shows some general wear and staining consistent with age and use. A previous owner’s name is handwritten inside the front cover. No other writing or markings were noted within the book.
Overall, this is an attractive and collectible example of the 1966 Eighth Printing Second Edition, made considerably more desirable by the presence of its printing-correct original dust jacket.
Please review all photographs carefully for the exact condition of this individual copy
