{"product_id":"the-common-sense-of-drinking-richard-peabody-1941","title":"The Common Sense of Drinking by Richard R. Peabody • 1941 Edition • RDJ","description":"\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eOffered here is a \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e1941 edition\u003c\/span\u003e of \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eThe Common Sense of Drinking\u003c\/span\u003e by \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eRichard R. Peabody\u003c\/span\u003e, published by \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eLittle, Brown \u0026amp; Company\u003c\/span\u003e in Boston. This copy includes a high-quality \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003ereproduction dust jacket\u003c\/span\u003e and comes from the library of the \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eFirst Church of Christ in Hartford, Connecticut\u003c\/span\u003e, preserving an interesting piece of its own history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eOriginally published in \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e1931\u003c\/span\u003e, \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Common Sense of Drinking\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e is widely regarded as one of the most influential books on alcoholism written before the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous. At a time when alcoholism was commonly viewed as a moral failing, Richard Peabody presented a thoughtful, practical approach that treated excessive drinking as a chronic condition requiring personal honesty, psychological understanding, and lasting change.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p4\"\u003eWritten in clear, accessible language, the book became a bestseller during the early 1930s and remains one of the landmark works in the history of addiction and recovery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRichard Peabody and the Road to Alcoholics Anonymous\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eRichard R. Peabody (1892–1936) struggled with alcoholism following his service as a Captain in the U.S. Army’s 15th Field Artillery during the First World War. After his own recovery, he became associated with Boston’s \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eEmmanuel Movement\u003c\/span\u003e, one of the earliest organized efforts to treat alcoholism through a combination of medical care, psychological insight, personal discipline, and spiritual support.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eAlthough \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Common Sense of Drinking\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e presents a largely secular approach rooted in psychology, historians have long recognized Peabody as one of the important writers whose ideas helped shape the intellectual landscape from which Alcoholics Anonymous emerged.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eHis influence can be seen throughout early A.A. literature. Concepts that later became familiar to generations of A.A. members—including the lifelong nature of alcoholism and the dangers of partial commitment to recovery—appear throughout Peabody’s work years before the publication of the Big Book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eResearchers have also noted striking similarities between Peabody’s discussion of \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e“a man of thirty-six years”\u003c\/span\u003e and material that later appeared in the chapter \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e“More About Alcoholism”\u003c\/span\u003e in \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlcoholics Anonymous\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e, suggesting another important thread connecting Peabody’s work with the Fellowship’s earliest literature.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p4\"\u003eFor collectors of recovery history, \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Common Sense of Drinking\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e represents one of the essential stepping stones leading to the publication of the Big Book in 1939.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication Details\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eTitle:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Common Sense of Drinking\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e Richard R. Peabody\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Little, Brown \u0026amp; Company\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePlace of Publication:\u003c\/b\u003e Boston, Massachusetts\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eEdition:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e 1941 Edition\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p2\"\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublication Year:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s2\"\u003e 1941\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding:\u003c\/b\u003e Original publisher’s red cloth\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p4\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eDust Jacket:\u003c\/b\u003e High-quality reproduction dust jacket\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eThis book is in \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003egood condition\u003c\/span\u003e overall.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eThe original red cloth binding remains attractive with moderate shelf wear consistent with age. This is a \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eformer library copy\u003c\/span\u003e from the \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eFirst Church of Christ, Hartford, Connecticut\u003c\/span\u003e, with library markings present on the spine, inside front pastedown, and title page.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eThe interior text pages are otherwise clean, with no additional writing or markings observed. The binding is sound, and the pages are complete.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eA high-quality \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003ereproduction dust jacket\u003c\/span\u003e has been added for protection and display.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p4\"\u003ePlease review all photographs carefully for the best representation of the book’s condition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eCollector’s Note\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eFew books published before Alcoholics Anonymous have had a greater documented influence on the development of modern recovery literature than \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Common Sense of Drinking\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e. Long recognized as one of the foundational works bridging the Emmanuel Movement and A.A., it remains an essential acquisition for collectors of recovery history, alcoholism studies, and early twentieth-century social reform.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p3\"\u003eThis particular copy carries an additional layer of history through its decades of service in the \u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003eFirst Church of Christ library in Hartford, Connecticut\u003c\/span\u003e. Church libraries like this helped preserve and circulate influential works on alcoholism during the years when communities were searching for answers long before modern treatment programs became widely available. Combined with its handsome reproduction dust jacket, this is an appealing and historically meaningful example of one of recovery literature’s most important books.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Recovery Collectibles","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47444546748658,"sku":null,"price":425.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0328\/4625\/0120\/files\/42D44C13-D25B-4BEA-AB48-B6BDD0811E2F.jpg?v=1743724536","url":"https:\/\/recoverycollectibles.com\/products\/the-common-sense-of-drinking-richard-peabody-1941","provider":"Recovery Collectibles","version":"1.0","type":"link"}