Alcoholics Anonymous Signed “Marty Mann / April 1939 / Greenwich, Conn.” With Primer on Alcoholism, Original Signed 1975 Letter & Historical NCA Publications

At the heart of this exceptional Marty Mann collection is a First Edition, Third Printing of Alcoholics Anonymous, published by Works Publishing Company in June 1942 and bearing a remarkable inscription by pioneering A.A. member Marty Mann:

Marty Mann
April 1939
Greenwich, Conn.

Those three lines carry unusual historical significance.

In 1939, Mann was a patient at Blythewood Sanitarium in Greenwich, Connecticut, under psychiatrist Dr. Harry Tiebout. While there, Tiebout gave her a pre-publication manuscript of Alcoholics Anonymous and encouraged her to meet the small fellowship gathering around Bill and Lois Wilson.

Mann later specifically recalled April 1939 as the month in which she attended her first A.A. meeting.

The Big Book bearing the inscription, however, was not published until June 1942. “April 1939 / Greenwich, Conn.” therefore cannot represent the date and place at which this particular Third Printing was published or originally obtained. Instead, Mann recorded beneath her name a month, year and location directly associated with the beginning of her own experience with Alcoholics Anonymous.

The precise circumstances under which Mann made the inscription are unknown, and the book is not represented as having been her personal copy. The inscription and its relationship to Mann’s documented history are significant without speculation.

Accompanying the Big Book are four additional pieces spanning Mann’s later career: her 1950 Primer on Alcoholism in its original dust jacket; her 1961 address Alcoholism: Past, Present and Future; the 1963 National Council on Alcoholism publication How to Know an Alcoholic; and an original July 14, 1975 letter personally signed “Marty.”

Together, the five pieces form a focused collection documenting Marty Mann from her earliest years in Alcoholics Anonymous through more than three decades of alcoholism education and public advocacy.

The Centerpiece

First Edition, Third Printing Big Book

Alcoholics Anonymous — June 1942

Signed “Marty Mann / April 1939 / Greenwich, Conn.”

Published by Works Publishing Company in June 1942, the Third Printing appeared during A.A.’s extraordinary early expansion.

The copyright page identifies:

First Printing — April 1939
Second Printing — March 1941
Third Printing — June 1942

Beginning on page 391 is the historically important statement:

“NOW WE ARE SIX THOUSAND.
JUNE, 1942”

It records A.A.’s growth from approximately 100 members around the publication of the First Printing to roughly 6,000 only three years later.

Mann’s inscription creates an especially compelling connection between those two moments. Her notation points backward to April 1939 in Greenwich, when her own involvement with A.A. began, while the book itself documents the Fellowship only three years later at approximately 6,000 members.

The same page also bears a prominent signature reading ‘Roy Patton’ beneath Mann’s inscription. Research to date has not established Patton’s identity or his relationship, if any, to Marty Mann or Alcoholics Anonymous.

Professional Rebinding & Preservation

The Big Book has been professionally rebound in blue cloth, with a black spine label lettered ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS in gilt.

The original 1942 text block—including the leaf bearing Marty Mann’s inscription—has been preserved.

Also included are photographs documenting the volume before restoration, when its original binding had deteriorated substantially.

Material retained from the former binding has been incorporated inside the new front cover. This material bears distinctive reddish-pink staining corresponding in appearance to staining visible on the original inscription leaf, providing additional physical continuity with the volume in its earlier state.

Condition

The professional blue-cloth binding is in excellent overall condition and presents exceptionally well.

The original 1942 text block exhibits expected age toning with scattered foxing, spotting and staining. Mann’s inscription remains clear and readily legible, as does the later Roy Patton signature beneath it.

A pencil notation from another previous owner appears on page 400, with additional age-related marks and evidence of historical use throughout.

The binding is strong and structurally sound. Pre-restoration photographs accompany the book.

Additional Marty Mann Material

Primer on Alcoholism — 1950

Marty Mann | Rinehart & Company | Original Dust Jacket

One of Mann’s important early books on alcoholism, Primer on Alcoholism was written to provide practical information for alcoholics and the families, friends, employers and others affected by the disease.

Its seventeen chapters address identification, treatment and recovery, including an entire chapter devoted to Alcoholics Anonymous.

The copy retains its original illustrated dust jacket. The red cloth book remains sound, while the jacket exhibits substantial age-related wear including chipping, tears, creasing, staining, discoloration and evidence of older tape repairs or residue.

Alcoholism: Past, Present and Future — 1961

This publication preserves material presented by Marty Mann during a November 1, 1961 public address at the University of South Carolina.

Identified as Founder and Executive Director of the National Council on Alcoholism, Mann discusses the historical understanding of alcoholism, scientific and medical developments, Alcoholics Anonymous, public education and her own experience as a recovered alcoholic.

The rear identifies the Texas Commission on Alcoholism as the source for additional copies, documenting the institutional distribution of Mann’s educational work.

Very good overall condition with expected age toning and minor handling wear.

How to Know an Alcoholic — 1963

Marty Mann | National Council on Alcoholism

An illustrated educational pamphlet addressing how alcoholism could be recognized and what alcoholics, families, friends and employers could do about it.

The publication discusses Alcoholics Anonymous and identifies its text as adapted from Mann’s New Primer on Alcoholism.

The printer’s notation L32–50M–2/63 appears to indicate a February 1963 printing and a 50,000-copy production run.

Attractive overall, retaining its distinctive pink-and-black illustrated wrappers with expected age toning and light handling wear.

Original Marty Mann Signed Letter — July 14, 1975

An original typed letter on stationery headed:

FROM THE DESK OF MARTY MANN

Addressed to “Don,” Mann thanks him for sending her an advertisement from Denver and comments on the continuing work of the National Council on Alcoholism:

“I am very proud of NCA for having done this…”

She closes “Much love,” followed by her handwritten blue-ink signature:

Marty

A later handwritten forwarding notation beneath the letter reads:

“Jack: This might interest you. Don [surname illegible]”

with a separate “7/17” notation at lower left.

The sheet remains complete and legible with age toning, handling wear and some ink smearing or transfer affecting the later forwarding notation. Mann’s original signature remains clear and readily visible.

Why This Collection Matters

The strength of this collection lies in the relationship between its pieces.

It begins with an early Big Book carrying Mann’s extraordinary notation:

“April 1939 / Greenwich, Conn.”

Those words point directly toward the documented beginning of her A.A. experience—Blythewood Sanitarium, Dr. Harry Tiebout, the pre-publication Big Book manuscript and her first A.A. meeting.

The supporting material then follows what came afterward.

By 1950, Mann was publishing Primer on Alcoholism. By the 1960s, she was a nationally recognized educator and leader of the National Council on Alcoholism, working to transform public understanding of alcoholism and recovery. And in 1975, she remained personally engaged with that work, writing in the original letter included here:

“I am very proud of NCA…”

The collection therefore brings together Marty Mann within early Alcoholics Anonymous and Marty Mann as author, educator and national alcoholism advocate—represented through original books, publications and correspondence spanning more than three decades.

Collection Includes

Alcoholics Anonymous — First Edition, Third Printing, June 1942
Works Publishing Company
Signed “Marty Mann / April 1939 / Greenwich, Conn.”
Additional signature reading "Roy Patton"
Professionally rebound; original text block preserved
Pre-restoration photographs included

Primer on Alcoholism — Marty Mann, 1950
Rinehart & Company
Original dust jacket

Alcoholism: Past, Present and Future — Marty Mann
November 1, 1961 address
National Council on Alcoholism / Texas Commission on Alcoholism

How to Know an Alcoholic — Marty Mann
National Council on Alcoholism
February 1963 printing

Original Marty Mann Signed Letter — July 14, 1975
Personally signed “Marty” in blue ink

Collector’s Note

Marty Mann occupies a distinctive place in both Alcoholics Anonymous history and the development of modern alcoholism education.

The centerpiece of this collection is not simply a Big Book bearing her signature. Mann chose to accompany her name with “April 1939 / Greenwich, Conn.”—a date and place central to the documented beginning of her A.A. experience, written in a Big Book that would not itself be published until three years later.

Combined with four pieces documenting the public work that followed, the collection offers an unusually coherent representation of Marty Mann’s place in recovery history.

Offered together as one complete Marty Mann historical collection, exactly as photographed.