{"product_id":"cleveland-central-bulletin-collection-1942-1962","title":"The Cleveland Central Bulletin Collection — Original Bound Volumes, 1942–1962","description":"\u003ch2 class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSeven Bound Volumes | Thirteen Complete Annual Volumes of Early Alcoholics Anonymous History\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDescription\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eOffered here is an exceptional collection of original issues of Cleveland’s \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCentral Bulletin\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, preserved in seven hardcover bound volumes and beginning with \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVol. I, No. 1 — October 1942\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe collection contains \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003ethirteen complete annual volumes\u003c\/span\u003e, with no missing issues within any of the represented runs, spanning the formative years of Alcoholics Anonymous from wartime Cleveland through the early 1960s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eTogether, these volumes provide a remarkable primary-source record of A.A. history — not later accounts looking backward, but contemporary reporting on the people, groups, meetings, conventions, service work, and developments shaping the Fellowship as they occurred.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eThe collection begins when Alcoholics Anonymous was only seven years old and follows its development across two decades as A.A. grew from a young American fellowship into an international movement.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Birth of the Central Bulletin — October 1942\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe collection opens with the inaugural issue:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p4\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCENTRAL BULLETIN\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVol. I — No. 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eOctober 1942\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCleveland, Ohio\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eCentral Bulletin\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e was created during World War II as Cleveland A.A. confronted a new challenge: members were leaving the city for military service and wartime employment, making communication increasingly important.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eIts first editorial explains the purpose of the new publication — maintaining contact, sharing news from the groups, reporting anniversaries and special meetings, communicating with members away from Cleveland, and strengthening connections throughout the local Fellowship.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eEven its physical format was considered. The early Bulletin was produced in a size that allowed issues to be retained and assembled for future reference.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe inaugural issue also provides a remarkable snapshot of A.A. at the time, including Cleveland group activity, early membership estimates, efforts to maintain contact with A.A. members in military service, and an announcement for an upcoming Cleveland gathering featuring \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eBill Wilson\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eThese are not recollections written decades later. They are the contemporary record of A.A. while its early history was still unfolding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCleveland and Early Alcoholics Anonymous\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eCleveland occupies an important place in the development of Alcoholics Anonymous.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eFollowing A.A.’s beginnings in Akron and New York, Cleveland became one of the earliest major centers of expansion and demonstrated that the program could grow rapidly beyond the small circles surrounding its founders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eAs the Fellowship expanded, Cleveland became an important center for group development, Twelfth Step work, hospitals and institutional activity, central service, public communication, and A.A. publishing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eCentral Bulletin\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e emerged directly from this environment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eIts pages preserve not only major events and well-known figures, but the everyday workings of early A.A. — how groups communicated, organized meetings, handled service responsibilities, welcomed newcomers, carried the message, and confronted the practical problems of rapid growth.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHistorical Highlights\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e1942 — The Central Bulletin Begins\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe earliest issues capture A.A. during wartime, when the Fellowship remained comparatively small and Bill W. and Dr. Bob were both actively involved in its development.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe Bulletin reports on Cleveland groups, members entering military service, meetings and anniversaries, service activities, and the continuing expansion of A.A. beyond its original centers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eThe first issue includes an announcement for the November 1942 Cleveland gathering honoring Bill Wilson, offering an unusually early contemporary record of the co-founder and the rapidly growing Cleveland Fellowship.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e1945 — A.A.’s Tenth Anniversary\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eVolumes III–IV carry the collection through \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eA.A.’s Tenth Anniversary in 1945\u003c\/span\u003e, including contemporary material surrounding the major Cleveland and Akron anniversary gatherings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eAmong the material preserved in these volumes is correspondence from \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eBill W. and Dr. Bob\u003c\/span\u003e accepting the invitation to participate in the celebration, along with anniversary program material and reporting from the event.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eAt only ten years old, Alcoholics Anonymous had already expanded dramatically beyond Akron and New York. These issues document that transformation while both co-founders were still alive and participating directly in the Fellowship.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Late 1940s — Groups, Service \u0026amp; a Growing Fellowship\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eVolumes V–VI document A.A. during an especially important period of expansion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eBefore the General Service Conference and before the Twelve Traditions had been formally accepted by the Fellowship as a whole, local groups were already confronting questions involving anonymity, group autonomy, finances, sponsorship, hospitals, public relations, central offices, literature, and service.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eThe \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eCentral Bulletin\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e provides a contemporary window into how those issues were being handled at the group level as A.A.’s customs and service principles continued to develop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e1950 — The International Convention in Cleveland\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eVolume VIII covers \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eOctober 1949 through September 1950\u003c\/span\u003e, placing the entire annual volume around one of the defining events in A.A. history: the \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e1950 International Convention in Cleveland\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe Bulletin documents the buildup to the gathering and the excitement surrounding A.A.’s Fifteenth Anniversary.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe Cleveland convention became a major milestone for the Fellowship. The Twelve Traditions were accepted by the Fellowship as a whole, and Dr. Bob made his final major A.A. appearance before his death later that year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eFor a publication created in Cleveland eight years earlier, the convention represented an extraordinary moment in the city’s place within A.A. history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e1954–1956 — Twenty Years of Alcoholics Anonymous\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eVolumes XIII–XIV encompass another important transition in the Fellowship’s development.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThese years include A.A.’s \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eTwentieth Anniversary\u003c\/span\u003e, the \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e1955 International Convention in St. Louis\u003c\/span\u003e, the era of the \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eSecond Edition of \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAlcoholics Anonymous\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, and the continuing development of A.A.’s General Service structure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eBy this period, the Fellowship documented in the \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eCentral Bulletin\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e was dramatically different from the organization described in its first issue thirteen years earlier.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e1958–1960 — Toward A.A.’s Twenty-Fifth Anniversary\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eVolumes XVII–XVIII continue the record through A.A.’s twenty-fifth year and the period of the \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e1960 International Convention in Long Beach, California\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eThe issues document a Fellowship that had expanded far beyond its early Ohio and New York roots, with an established service structure and an increasingly international presence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e1960–1962 — Twenty Years of the Central Bulletin\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eVolumes XIX–XX bring the collection into the early 1960s and almost exactly to the \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003etwentieth anniversary of the Central Bulletin itself\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThat provides a fitting conclusion to the collection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eWhat began in October 1942 as a modest Cleveland communication effort had survived for twenty years and become part of A.A.’s own historical record.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eIn connection with the Bulletin’s twentieth anniversary, Bill Wilson looked back on its history and described it as the \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003efirst publication of its kind in A.A.\u003c\/span\u003e, recognizing the pioneering role it had played in the Fellowship’s early development.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Bound Collection\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eCleveland A.A.’s historical record notes that longtime \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eCentral Bulletin\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e editor \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eHarry D.\u003c\/span\u003e later produced bound copies of the publication for sale, generally combining two years of issues into a single book. A complete bound set was also preserved for the General Service Office Archives.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe volumes offered here follow that historic format, with most books containing two consecutive annual volumes of original issues.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eIncluded in the collection:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVolumes I–II\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOctober 1942–September 1944\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVolumes III–IV\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOctober 1944–September 1946\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVolumes V–VI\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOctober 1946–September 1948\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVolume VIII\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOctober 1949–September 1950\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVolumes XIII–XIV\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOctober 1954–September 1956\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVolumes XVII–XVIII\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOctober 1958–September 1960\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVolumes XIX–XX\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOctober 1960–September 1962\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p4\"\u003eSeven bound books containing thirteen complete annual volumes. There are no missing issues within any of the represented volumes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eTogether, the seven bound books preserve thirteen annual volumes from 1942 through 1962. The volumes represented are I–VI, VIII, XIII–XIV, and XVII–XX; Volumes VII, IX–XII, and XV–XVI are not included.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCollection Details\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication:\u003c\/b\u003e Central Bulletin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Cleveland, Ohio\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eEarliest Issue:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Vol. I, No. 1 — October 1942\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eLatest Issue:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Vol. XX — September 1962\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Original newsletter issues preserved in hardcover bound volumes\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBound Books:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e 7\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAnnual Volumes:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e 13\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCompleteness:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Complete within each included volume\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePeriod Represented:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e 1942–1962\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSubject:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Alcoholics Anonymous history, Cleveland A.A., early groups, service, conventions, literature and Fellowship development\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eThe seven hardcover volumes show varying degrees of age and use, including shelf wear, rubbing, fading, soiling, edge and corner wear, and occasional marks to the bindings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eInternally, the original Bulletin issues remain well preserved overall, with expected age toning and occasional handling wear consistent with material of this age. The issues remain readable and securely housed within the bound volumes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eSeveral volumes contain an \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eEx Libris bookplate for Peg Hurd\u003c\/span\u003e. No definitive historical identification of the former owner has been established, and no additional provenance is represented beyond the bookplates themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003ePlease review all photographs carefully for the exact condition and appearance of each volume.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCollector Significance\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eBeginning with \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eVol. I, No. 1 in October 1942\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, this collection preserves thirteen complete annual volumes of one of A.A.’s pioneering early publications.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eAcross its pages are wartime Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill W. and Dr. Bob, A.A.’s Tenth Anniversary, the growth of the Cleveland Fellowship, the development of group service and the Traditions, the 1950 Cleveland International Convention, the Second Edition and Third Legacy era, and A.A.’s emergence as an international Fellowship.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eOriginal early issues of the Central Bulletin seldom appear on the collector market, while substantial bound runs are even less frequently encountered.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003eFor the advanced collector, researcher, or institutional archive, these seven bound volumes represent an unusually substantial body of original primary-source material from the formative decades of Alcoholics Anonymous.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Recovery Collectibles","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":67608636621042,"sku":null,"price":12500.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0328\/4625\/0120\/files\/IMG-9316.png?v=1790920257","url":"https:\/\/recoverycollectibles.com\/products\/cleveland-central-bulletin-collection-1942-1962","provider":"Recovery Collectibles","version":"1.0","type":"link"}