Bottle Fatigue — Official Souvenir Edition for A.A.’s First International Convention — Cleveland, 1950 (Copy)
Special Advance Edition for the Fifteenth Anniversary Banquet — Cleveland, Ohio
Offered here is an original Alcoholics Anonymous convention souvenir edition of Bottle Fatigue by noted American cartoonist Virgil Franklin Partch, better known as VIP.
This special edition was produced for the First International Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous, held in Cleveland, Ohio, July 28–30, 1950, celebrating the Fellowship’s Fifteenth Anniversary.
Bound into the front is a special pink souvenir leaf identifying the edition:
Souvenir Copy
FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
Fifteenth Anniversary
CLEVELAND, OHIO, JULY 28–30, 1950
The leaf further explains:
“This is the special advance edition imprinted for The Banquet the evening of July 29.”
It identifies cartoonist Virgil Franklin Partch as a “non-member friend of the fellowship” and states that the book was presented with the compliments of Duell, Sloan & Pearce, Inc., Publishers.
Bottle Fatigue
Copyrighted in 1950, Bottle Fatigue is an illustrated collection of Partch’s distinctive cartoons centered around alcohol, drinking, bars, and drinking culture.
For the Cleveland Convention, the publisher prepared this special advance souvenir edition for attendees of the July 29 banquet, transforming the commercially published cartoon book into an unusual piece of early Alcoholics Anonymous convention history.
The special A.A. issue is also documented in the archival Clarence Snyder Collection at Brown University, which identifies a Bottle Fatigue cartoon booklet as a handout from the first International A.A. Conference.
The 1950 Cleveland Convention
The 1950 Cleveland gathering was the first International Convention of Alcoholics Anonymous, held just fifteen years after the Fellowship’s beginnings.
The convention became one of the landmark gatherings of early A.A. history, bringing together members from across the growing Fellowship and marking A.A.’s transition from its formative years into an expanding international organization.
This copy was produced specifically for that historic gathering—and more precisely for the convention banquet held on July 29, 1950.
Book Details
Title: Bottle Fatigue
Author/Artist: Virgil Franklin Partch (VIP)
Publisher: Duell, Sloan & Pearce, Inc., New York
Copyright: 1950
Edition: Special Advance A.A. Convention Souvenir Copy
Event: First International Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous
Anniversary: Fifteenth Anniversary
Location: Cleveland, Ohio
Dates: July 28–30, 1950
Banquet: July 29, 1950
Binding: Illustrated softcover
Condition
This copy shows substantial age and use, most notably an irregular cut/torn section along the lower right fore-edge. The loss begins at the front cover and extends through a portion of the interior pages, primarily affecting the outer margins. Please see the photographs for the extent of this damage.
The booklet additionally shows toning, staining, soiling, edge wear, creasing, and general handling wear consistent with its age.
Importantly, the special pink A.A. souvenir leaf remains present and legible, clearly identifying the First International Conference, Fifteenth Anniversary, Cleveland dates, July 29 banquet, and special advance edition. The illustrated contents also remain substantially preserved and readable.
Collector Significance
This is not the standard 1950 edition of Bottle Fatigue, but the special souvenir copy prepared for A.A.’s first International Convention and distributed in connection with the July 29 banquet.
Original material from the 1950 Cleveland Convention has become an important area of early Alcoholics Anonymous collecting, and this unusual souvenir represents a direct artifact from that historic weekend.
Despite the condition issues present in this example, the feature that establishes its historical significance—the original A.A. convention souvenir leaf—remains intact and clearly readable.
An unusual opportunity to acquire an original piece from Alcoholics Anonymous’ First International Convention and Fifteenth Anniversary gathering in Cleveland, 1950.
