{"product_id":"jim-burwell-letter-clarence-snyder-philadelphia-aa-1940","title":"Jim Burwell Handwritten Letter to Clarence Snyder — Founding of A.A. in Philadelphia — February 1940","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAn extraordinary handwritten letter from \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJim Burwell to Clarence Snyder\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, postmarked February 29, 1940, documenting the earliest days of Alcoholics Anonymous in Philadelphia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eWritten less than one year after the publication of the First Edition Big Book, this remarkable letter captures A.A. history as it was happening. Burwell had recently moved to the Philadelphia area for work and immediately began gathering alcoholics who were interested in the new recovery movement. In his letter to Snyder, he reports the group’s earliest growth:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e“Have started an A.A. group here \u0026amp; last week we had 3 at the meeting \u0026amp; this week we have 7 alkys.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThis is not a later recollection or commemorative account. It is a direct, contemporary report from one pioneering member to another, written during the actual formation of the Philadelphia group.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJim Burwell and the Beginning of A.A. in Philadelphia\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eJim Burwell was one of the earliest members of the New York fellowship and later became widely known through his Big Book story, \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e“The Vicious Cycle.”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e He played an important role in shaping the inclusive spiritual language of Alcoholics Anonymous and was among the early voices advocating that the program remain open to alcoholics with differing religious beliefs and backgrounds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eIn February 1940, however, A.A. was still a small and loosely connected movement. Its groups were concentrated primarily in Akron, New York, and Cleveland. There was no established national service structure, no central office as later generations would know it, and no proven formula for starting a group in a new city.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThis letter records Burwell confronting that challenge directly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eHe explains that several of the men gathering with him had already been sober for months “on a spiritual basis” and that he believed they had formed “a swell nucleus.” He also notes that the members were eager to begin helping others but had received little response from local publicity or from the Big Book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBurwell Seeks Clarence Snyder’s Help\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe recipient, \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eClarence Snyder\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, was one of A.A.’s earliest and most influential pioneers. Snyder helped establish the first separate A.A. group in Cleveland, where the young Fellowship experienced rapid growth following a series of favorable newspaper articles in the \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eCleveland Plain Dealer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eBurwell specifically asks Snyder to send him those articles and explain how the Cleveland members handled the resulting publicity:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e“What I wish you all would do is to send me the articles you run in the Plain Dealer \u0026amp; any other dope you have there so we can do something similar here.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eHe continues by asking Snyder to describe how the publicity effort was organized, what response it produced, and what he would do differently if beginning again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThat request gives the letter exceptional historical significance. It documents the direct transfer of early A.A. experience from Cleveland to Philadelphia: one pioneer seeking practical guidance from another on how to introduce the new Fellowship to a city, attract suffering alcoholics, and build a functioning group.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Primary Document from A.A.’s Formative Period\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe contents of the letter place the reader inside the earliest expansion of Alcoholics Anonymous.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p4\"\u003eBurwell records:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHis recent move to the Philadelphia area\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe creation of a new A.A. group\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGrowth from three attendees to seven within a single week\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe presence of several men already sober on a spiritual basis\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe group’s desire to begin working with other alcoholics\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe limited response from local publicity and the Big Book\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHis request for Cleveland’s successful newspaper materials\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHis appeal to Snyder for practical advice based on experience\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAt the time this letter was written, the Big Book had been available for less than a year. A.A. was still small enough that its expansion depended largely upon personal relationships, handwritten correspondence, mailed literature, newspaper clippings, and the willingness of individual members to carry the message into new communities.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThis letter is a vivid surviving example of that process.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eLetter Transcription\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p5\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e218 N. Wycombe Ave.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eLansdowne, Pa.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e(No. Phila.)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eDear Clarence \u0026amp; Dottie,\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThis will be a surprise\u003cbr\u003e(good or bad) to hear from me.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eMoved down here on a new\u003cbr\u003ejob about two weeks ago.\u003cbr\u003eThe job looks pretty good\u003cbr\u003efor the long pull.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eHave started an A.A.\u003cbr\u003egroup here \u0026amp; last week we\u003cbr\u003ehad 3 at the meeting \u0026amp; this\u003cbr\u003eweek we have 7 alkys.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eSeveral of them have been sober\u003cbr\u003efor a number of months on\u003cbr\u003ea spiritual basis \u0026amp; I do feel\u003cbr\u003ewe have a swell nucleus\u003cbr\u003estarted \u0026amp; they all want to go\u003cbr\u003eto work. But there has not\u003cbr\u003ebeen much response from\u003cbr\u003ePhila. on the part publicity\u003cbr\u003eor book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eWhat I wish you all would do\u003cbr\u003eis to send me the articles you\u003cbr\u003erun in the Plain Dealer \u0026amp; any\u003cbr\u003eother dope you have there\u003cbr\u003eso we can do something similar\u003cbr\u003ehere. Also let us hear how\u003cbr\u003eyou handled it all \u0026amp; the\u003cbr\u003eresponse you had. And also\u003cbr\u003ehow you would do it this time\u003cbr\u003eif you were starting out again.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eI know this is a large\u003cbr\u003eorder but it sure would help\u003cbr\u003eus here. Of course I heard\u003cbr\u003eyour swell talk you made to\u003cbr\u003ethe Cleveland boys that Sunday\u003cbr\u003ein N.Y.C. \u0026amp; that helps a lot.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eGive my best regards to\u003cbr\u003eeveryone there that I know.\u003cbr\u003e\u0026amp; please send all this as\u003cbr\u003esoon as you find time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThen would like to get\u003cbr\u003eout your way \u0026amp; see your\u003cbr\u003egang. Best regards to you both\u003cbr\u003e\u0026amp; please pardon the scrawl.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p5\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eJimmy Burwell\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eEnvelope\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe original envelope is included and is addressed to:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMr. \u0026amp; Mrs. Clarence Snyder\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ec\/o City Loan Co.\u003cbr\u003eE. 14th \u0026amp; Euclid St.\u003cbr\u003eCleveland, Ohio\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p5\"\u003eIt is marked \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAir Mail\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e and bears a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, February 29, 1940\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e postmark.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eItem Details\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jim Burwell\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRecipient:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Clarence Snyder and his wife, Dorothy\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDate:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e February 1940\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePostmark:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e February 29, 1940\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eLocation written:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Lansdowne, Pennsylvania\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Handwritten letter with original mailing envelope\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Two handwritten sides on one folded sheet\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSignature:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Signed “Jimmy Burwell”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eSubject:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e Formation of Alcoholics Anonymous in Philadelphia and request for Cleveland publicity materials\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe letter remains in very good condition for an original piece of personal correspondence from 1940. The sheet retains clear, dark handwriting throughout and shows its original mailing folds. There is light age toning and minor scattered spotting consistent with age.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe accompanying envelope shows expected postal handling, edge wear, light soiling, and age toning. The address, stamps, and February 29, 1940 Philadelphia postmark remain clearly visible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003ePlease review all photographs carefully for a complete understanding of the condition and appearance of both the letter and envelope.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eHistorical Significance\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThis is not simply an autograph letter between two recognizable early members of Alcoholics Anonymous.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eIt is a firsthand documentary account of Jim Burwell establishing A.A. in Philadelphia and seeking instruction from Clarence Snyder based on the successful development of A.A. in Cleveland.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eThe letter connects two central pioneers, two foundational A.A. cities, the influence of the \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eCleveland Plain Dealer\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e publicity, and the earliest spread of the Fellowship beyond Akron and New York.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eFew artifacts illustrate the growth of Alcoholics Anonymous with such immediacy. Burwell is not looking back on the founding of a group. He is describing it week by week, reporting its first attendees, identifying its challenges, and asking another pioneer how to proceed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eAn exceptional primary-source document from the formative period of Alcoholics Anonymous and an important artifact for the advanced collector of A.A. history, early correspondence, founding-era material, or original recovery ephemera.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sean McShane","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49869899038962,"sku":null,"price":25000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0328\/4625\/0120\/files\/31B78336-687A-4D35-9D97-4F4EC518021F.jpg?v=1714426180","url":"https:\/\/recoverycollectibles.com\/products\/jim-burwell-letter-clarence-snyder-philadelphia-aa-1940","provider":"Recovery Collectibles","version":"1.0","type":"link"}