Alcoholics Anonymous — Second Edition, Fourth Printing — 1960
Original Dust Jacket | Early Second Edition Big Book
Offered here is a Second Edition, Fourth Printing (1960) of Alcoholics Anonymous, the foundational text of the Fellowship commonly known as the Big Book. This copy retains its original blue dust jacket and is an early printing of the Second Edition, first introduced in 1955.
The Second Edition marked an important milestone in Alcoholics Anonymous history. When the original Big Book was published in 1939, A.A. was a small fellowship with fewer than one hundred members. By 1955, membership had grown to more than 150,000, and the Fellowship had established groups throughout the United States and internationally.
The revised edition preserved the original basic text while expanding the collection of personal recovery stories to reflect A.A.’s growth and changing membership.
Published in 1960, this Fourth Printing appeared during another period of rapid expansion. A footnote in the Foreword records that A.A. had grown to more than 8,000 groups in over 80 countries, with an estimated membership of 300,000.
Book Details
- Title: Alcoholics Anonymous
- Publisher: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., New York
- Edition: Second Edition, New and Revised
- Printing: Fourth Printing
- Year: 1960
- Binding: Original blue cloth hardcover with gilt spine lettering
- Dust Jacket: Original blue Second Edition dust jacket
- Printer: The Cornwall Press, Inc., Cornwall, New York
The copyright page explicitly identifies this copy as the Fourth Printing, 1960.
The original dust jacket retains the early Second Edition design, with gold lettering and the circle-and-triangle emblem. Its front flap describes the revised edition and the Fellowship’s growth, while the rear flap includes information about the book and its publication.
Condition
This book is in good condition overall, with more substantial wear to the original dust jacket.
The blue cloth covers show general rubbing, handling wear, and discoloration, including noticeable fading and light staining along the upper edges and spine ends. The gilt spine lettering remains clear and attractive. The binding appears intact.
The original dust jacket shows considerable age-related wear, including rubbing, scuffing, edge and corner wear, small tears, and areas of paper loss. There is more pronounced wear around the spine ends and along the upper and lower edges. The jacket remains substantially complete, retaining its original front and rear flaps.
The interior pages show age toning, with noticeable darkening to the page edges. The front free endpaper contains handwritten pencil notations, including a reference to the edition and printing, along with an older price notation. There is also discoloration and staining to the front endpapers.
The pages shown remain legible and generally well preserved.
Please review all photographs carefully for the exact condition.
Collector Significance
The early printings of the Second Edition Big Book document a significant period in the growth of Alcoholics Anonymous, when the Fellowship was expanding rapidly across the United States and around the world.
This 1960 Fourth Printing, accompanied by its original dust jacket, represents an appealing example from the first five years of the Second Edition’s publication.
A desirable addition to a collection of early Alcoholics Anonymous Big Books and recovery history.
