In Their Own Hands | Original Letters from Bill Wilson, Dr. Bob Smith, Jim Burwell & Hank Parkhurst
Seven Original Handwritten Letters Spanning 1940–1968
Offered here is an extraordinary collection of seven original handwritten letters by four foundational figures in Alcoholics Anonymous history: Bill Wilson, Dr. Bob Smith, Jim Burwell, and Hank Parkhurst.
These are not simply examples of famous signatures. Each is a substantive personal communication, written for a particular recipient and purpose, preserving the writer’s own words, concerns, relationships, and perspective at a specific moment in A.A. history.
Together, the letters span nearly three decades — from Jim Burwell’s February 1940 account of the emerging Philadelphia A.A. group to Bill Wilson’s candid 1968 correspondence with Nell Wing concerning G.S.O. visitors, access to him personally, and his discomfort with increasing personal veneration.
The collection brings together both A.A. co-founders, two important early pioneers, and a remarkable range of subject matter: the growth of the Fellowship, recovery literature, faith, family, service, leadership, and the personal relationships behind the public history of Alcoholics Anonymous.
The Collection
Jim Burwell to Clarence & Dorothy Snyder
February 1940 — Lansdowne, Pennsylvania
One of the most historically significant documents in the collection.
Burwell reports the formation of the Philadelphia A.A. group and describes its very early growth:
“Have started an A.A. group here & last week we had 3 at the meeting & this week we have 7 alkys.”
He asks Clarence Snyder how Cleveland handled publicity, what response it generated, and what Snyder might have done differently when beginning the Cleveland group.
Written while A.A. was still in its formative years, the letter captures one pioneer seeking practical guidance from another as the Fellowship expanded into a new city.
Original Air Mail envelope included.
Dr. Bob Smith to Ed Webster
December 29, 1946 — Akron, Ohio
A two-sided handwritten letter on Dr. Bob’s professional medical stationery, written to Ed Webster concerning the release of The Little Red Book.
Dr. Bob writes:
“Have enjoyed your little book very much & know that it will prove to be of a lot of help to many.”
The letter combines an important connection to early recovery literature with the warmth of a personal friendship. Dr. Bob also discusses gifts Webster had sent, mutual acquaintances, and upcoming travel.
It is an especially compelling example of Dr. Bob responding directly to recovery literature being developed and circulated during A.A.’s early years.
Dr. Bob Smith to Sarah Klein
April 19, 1949 — Akron, Ohio
A deeply personal handwritten letter from Dr. Bob to Sarah Klein, an important early A.A. figure in Detroit who helped establish the Fellowship there and contributed to its growth in the Midwest.
Dr. Bob thanks Klein for two books and writes candidly about spiritual understanding, faith, perseverance, and his own difficulty consistently applying what he reads.
Among the most personal lines:
“It can be very helpful & I hope my understanding & faith may prove sufficient.”
The letter offers an unusually intimate view of Dr. Bob’s spiritual thinking and his willingness to acknowledge his own shortcomings.
Original envelope included.
Accompanied by a James Spence Authentication Letter of Authenticity, Certification ZZ35395.
Hank Parkhurst — Two Family Letters
January 1 & January 4, 1952 — Trenton, New Jersey
Two handwritten family letters on illustrated Hotel Hildebrecht stationery, comprising three written sides in total.
Parkhurst — an early A.A. figure and co-founder of Works Publishing — writes privately about marriage, family, prayer, church, legal matters, and financial concerns.
In the January 1 letter he writes:
“Life has taught me that people who pray together stay together.”
Three days later the tone becomes more urgent as he discusses conversations with attorneys and the need to make plans for the family.
Together, the two letters reveal a distinctly personal side of a man whose role in the publication of the Big Book places him permanently within early A.A. history.
The Parkhurst letters are supported by a 1999 sworn affidavit from Merton M. Minter III, documenting provenance and authenticity of a larger group of historically significant A.A. correspondence transferred through the Klein and Parkhurst families.
Bill Wilson to Nell Wing
Undated — Canadian Pacific, Empress of England
A two-sided handwritten letter from Bill Wilson to Nell Wing on pale-blue Canadian Pacific stationery.
Wilson gives Nell practical instructions concerning the ship’s arrival, clearing Customs, transportation, an address he needs located, and messages to be passed along.
He closes affectionately:
“The trip still goes wonderfully, and we send love to all.”
The importance of the letter lies in its ordinariness. Rather than a formal statement from the co-founder of A.A., it preserves the familiar working relationship between Bill and Nell — the trusted assistant, archivist, and longtime G.S.O. figure who became one of the principal custodians of A.A.’s early history.
Bill Wilson to Nell Wing
1968 — Long Bay Hotel, Antigua
One of the most revealing letters in the collection.
Writing from Antigua, Bill responds to a proposed visit from a group traveling from Guatemala and explains why he must establish boundaries around access to himself and G.S.O.
His concern moves beyond scheduling:
“On this trip I’ve seen much evidence of a desire to deify me to a degree that could really get out of hand.”
The letter provides a remarkably candid view of Wilson grappling with his own position inside the movement he helped create — balancing hospitality, Fellowship expectations, institutional responsibilities, and his discomfort with being personally elevated.
It is both an operational communication and a personal reflection on the consequences of A.A.’s worldwide growth.
Why This Collection Matters
A single important handwritten letter can become the defining object in a collection.
Here, the opportunity is considerably broader.
Both A.A. co-founders are represented through substantive handwritten correspondence, joined by Jim Burwell and Hank Parkhurst. The subjects range from the establishment of a new A.A. group in 1940 and the publication of early recovery literature to spirituality, family life, personal friendship, service, institutional growth, and Bill Wilson’s concern over his own increasing prominence.
The letters are not interchangeable examples of handwriting. Each preserves an identifiable relationship, purpose, and historical moment.
Taken together, they provide something that would be exceptionally difficult to recreate one piece at a time: a concentrated collection of original voices from the formative history of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Each is a personal communication, not merely a signature.
Collection Details
Title: In Their Own Hands
Contents: Seven original handwritten letters presented in six entries
Date Range: 1940–1968, with one Bill Wilson letter undated
Principal Figures: Bill Wilson · Dr. Bob Smith · Jim Burwell · Hank Parkhurst
Notable Recipients: Clarence & Dorothy Snyder · Ed Webster · Sarah Klein · Nell Wing
Additional Documentation: Original envelopes with selected letters; JSA authentication for the Dr. Bob–Sarah Klein letter; 1999 Merton Minter provenance affidavit relating to the Burwell and Parkhurst material
Format: Original handwritten correspondence on period stationery
Offering: Collection offered intact
Condition
The letters remain in very good historical condition overall, with expected evidence of age and use including mailing folds, toning, occasional spotting, edge wear, and handling marks.
Condition varies by individual document and is documented in greater detail in the accompanying illustrated portfolio. Original folds, stationery, envelopes, and other period characteristics have been retained as part of the historical integrity of the material.
Please review all photographs carefully.
Additional high-resolution photographs and item-specific condition information are available upon request.
