Alcoholics Anonymous Second Edition Big Book 11th Printing with ODJ
Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book) — Second Edition, Eleventh Printing — September 1970 — Original Dust Jacket
Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., New York City
Second Edition — Eleventh Printing, 1970
Original Dust Jacket — Code 65M–9/70(C)
Offered here is an original Eleventh Printing of the Second Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous, published by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. in 1970, complete with its original period dust jacket.
The copyright page identifies the book as:
Second Edition, New and Revised, 1955
Eleventh Printing, 1970
Importantly for collectors, the original dust jacket remains with the book and bears the code “65M–9/70(C)” on the lower back flap, dating the jacket to September 1970 and corresponding with this printing.
The Second Edition Big Book
First introduced in 1955, the Second Edition marked an important new chapter in the history of Alcoholics Anonymous.
The basic text of the Big Book remained substantially unchanged, preserving the program of recovery that had appeared in the original 1939 edition. The Personal Stories section, however, was extensively revised to better represent a fellowship that had grown dramatically since the publication of the First Edition.
By the time this Eleventh Printing appeared in 1970, Alcoholics Anonymous had expanded from a small fellowship of fewer than 100 members in 1939 into an international organization numbering in the hundreds of thousands.
The Second Edition therefore documents an important period in which A.A. evolved from its pioneering early years into a worldwide fellowship.
The Original Dust Jacket
One of the strongest features of this copy is the presence of its original 1970 dust jacket.
The jacket retains the classic dark Second Edition design with the large Alcoholics Anonymous lettering and circle-and-triangle emblem.
The back flap bears the identifying printer’s code: 65M–9/70(C)
The jacket also retains the memorable anonymity instruction printed on the rear flap:
“If you wish to preserve complete personal anonymity when carrying this book, just turn this jacket inside out.”
This feature was intentionally incorporated into Second Edition jackets so that an owner could carry the Big Book without displaying its title publicly.
Condition
Book: Very good overall for its age. The original blue cloth boards remain clean and attractive, with only light general shelf and handling wear. The spine is strong and retains bright orange lettering for Alcoholics Anonymous and A.A. World Services, Inc. The corners and spine extremities show minor rubbing and wear.
The binding appears sound. The interior is clean and well preserved, with expected light age toning. The photographed endpapers and pages show only minor signs of previous handling, with no significant writing or markings visible in the photographs.
Original Dust Jacket: Good, showing considerable honest wear while remaining substantially complete. The jacket has several closed tears and creases, including a prominent tear extending inward from the left side of the front panel and additional tearing and wear along the lower front panel. There is chipping, splitting, and edge wear along the front fore-edge, with further chipping and short tears at the spine ends and along the upper and lower edges.
The jacket spine and panels show rubbing, handling wear, and scattered surface marks. The flaps remain attached and the important 65M–9/70(C) code is clearly present and readable. The original $4.50 price also remains printed at the upper corner of the front flap.
Despite its wear, the original jacket remains visually attractive and, most importantly, is the correctly dated period jacket for this September 1970 printing.
Please review all photographs carefully for the complete condition of the book and original dust jacket.
Collector Significance
Later Second Edition Big Books are often encountered without their original jackets, making complete examples increasingly desirable to collectors—particularly when the jacket retains a clearly identifiable production code corresponding to the printing period.
This copy combines an attractive, well-preserved Eleventh Printing Big Book with its substantially complete original September 1970 coded dust jacket.
A solid collectible example of the Second Edition Big Book and an excellent representative copy of the 1970 Eleventh Printing with its original dust jacket.
