The Mayflower Collection | A Museum-Scale Archive of Alcoholics Anonymous & Recovery History
Foundational manuscripts. Pioneer correspondence. Association copies. Early publishing history. Rare books, documents, ephemera, and artifacts spanning the development of Alcoholics Anonymous and the modern recovery movement.
Offered as one intact collection.
An Extraordinary Archive of Recovery History
The Mayflower Collection is one of the most substantial privately assembled archives of Alcoholics Anonymous and recovery history to be offered through Recovery Collectibles.
Built over many years, the collection brings together rare books, original manuscripts, correspondence, association copies, early publications, photographs, ephemera, and historically significant artifacts connected to the people and events that shaped the recovery movement.
Represented throughout the archive are materials associated with Bill Wilson, Dr. Bob Smith, Dr. William D. Silkworth, Lois Wilson, Ebby Thacher, Clarence Snyder, Ruth Hock, Jack Alexander, Larry Jewell, Richmond Walker, Marty Mann, Bobbie Burger, Ed Webster, Wilbur and Ruth Smith, Father Ralph Pfau, and numerous other early members, authors, publishers, and historical figures.
The collection includes foundational and pre-publication material, founder and pioneer correspondence, early First Edition Big Books, important signed and association copies, Works Publishing material, manuscripts relating to major A.A. publications, Oxford Group material, Al-Anon history, early pamphlets and periodicals, and recovery-related ephemera and artifacts.
Much of the archive has been displayed within a dedicated recovery-history gallery and preserved as a connected historical collection rather than simply as individual collectibles.
The owner has now elected to offer The Mayflower Collection as one intact archive.
Highlights of the Mayflower Collection
1939 Pre-Publication Multilith of
Alcoholics Anonymous
Inscribed and signed by Bill Wilson
Among the most important pieces in the collection is an original 1939 pre-publication Multilith copy of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Produced before publication of the First Edition Big Book, these copies represent one of the earliest surviving forms of the text. This example carries an inscription and signature from A.A. co-founder Bill Wilson.
Dr. William D. Silkworth Correspondence
The collection includes original signed correspondence associated with Dr. William D. Silkworth, whose medical perspective became central to the framework presented in The Doctor’s Opinion.
His presence within the archive provides a direct documentary connection to one of the most influential medical figures in early A.A. history.
Early Twelve Steps Manuscript Material
Mayflower includes manuscript material connected to the development and presentation of the Twelve Steps and the literature that grew from them.
These documents offer a rare view of the program through surviving historical material rather than published text alone.
Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age
Pre-Publication Material
The archive also includes pre-publication manuscript material relating to Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, extending the collection into the literature A.A. later used to document its own development, personalities, service structure, and history.
Works Publishing Material
Original Works Publishing material documents the earliest publishing history of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Among these pieces is an original Works Publishing stock certificate, connecting the archive directly to the early financial and publishing history of the Big Book.
Dr. Bob Smith & Bill Wilson Correspondence
Original correspondence involving both A.A. co-founders forms an important part of the collection.
Included is a handwritten Dr. Bob Smith letter to Sarah Klein, together with Bill Wilson correspondence involving early members and individuals within the developing A.A. network.
These letters preserve the personal relationships behind the institutional history.
The Larry Jewell Collection
A focused group of material associated with early A.A. member Larry Jewell includes his personal 1939 First Printing Big Book, early Houston press coverage, and related historical material.
Preserved together, these objects tell a far richer story than the book alone.
The Jack Alexander Collection
Jack Alexander’s 1941 Saturday Evening Post article became one of the most consequential pieces of national publicity in early A.A. history.
Mayflower includes presentation, correspondence, and related material documenting his relationship with Alcoholics Anonymous and the historical setting surrounding that landmark article.
1945 First Edition Big Book
Signed by Bill Wilson, Dr. Bob Smith, Bobbie Burger & Dick Stanley
Among the archive’s notable association copies is a 1945 First Edition Big Book carrying four important early A.A. signatures.
The book stands as both a major collectible and a physical record of relationships within the early Fellowship.
The People Behind the History
One of the defining strengths of the Mayflower Collection is the number of historically important figures represented within a single archive.
Bill Wilson appears through signed books, correspondence, inscriptions, manuscripts, and publishing material. Dr. Bob Smith is represented through correspondence and association pieces tied to the Akron roots of Alcoholics Anonymous. Dr. William Silkworth connects the collection to the medical understanding of alcoholism that helped shape the Big Book.
Lois Wilson and Al-Anon material broaden the archive into the history of family recovery, while Ebby Thacher, Clarence Snyder, and Ruth Hock connect Mayflower to the earliest spiritual, organizational, and publishing history of A.A.
Focused material associated with Larry Jewell, Jack Alexander, Richmond Walker, Marty Mann, Wilbur and Ruth Smith, and Father Ralph Pfau extends the collection into early A.A. expansion, journalism, recovery literature, alcoholism education, friendship, and faith-based recovery writing.
Together, these materials preserve not just individual names, but a network of relationships.
Authors correspond with pioneers. Founders inscribe books to friends. Journalists document the Fellowship. Physicians influence its understanding of alcoholism. Publishers produce its literature. Members preserve the books and letters passed between them.
That network is one of the qualities that gives the Mayflower Collection its historical depth.
More Than a Collection of Rare Books
Many of the pieces within Mayflower are important enough to stand alone.
A signed Big Book can be sold separately. So can a founder’s letter, a pre-publication manuscript, an early pamphlet, or a Works Publishing document.
But the larger significance of the collection comes from the way those materials relate to one another.
A Larry Jewell Big Book gains greater context beside his associated historical material. Jack Alexander material becomes more meaningful when viewed with the publications and correspondence connected to his relationship with A.A. Manuscripts, founder correspondence, publishing records, and association copies collectively reveal relationships that isolated objects cannot.
For that reason, the owner is presently offering Mayflower as one intact archive.
For a collector, museum, historical organization, research institution, or private foundation, the collection offers the opportunity to acquire not simply a concentration of important recovery artifacts, but an existing historical archive with substantial depth.
Collected, Curated & Exhibited
Much of the Mayflower Collection has been carefully arranged and displayed within a dedicated recovery-history gallery.
Books, correspondence, manuscripts, photographs, and artifacts have been presented together within their broader historical context, demonstrating the collection’s potential not only for private ownership, but also for continued exhibition, education, and historical research.
Selected Contents
The Mayflower Collection includes material relating to:
- Foundational and pre-publication A.A. literature
- Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith
- Dr. William D. Silkworth
- Early First Edition Big Books
- Signed, inscribed, and association copies
- Works Publishing and early A.A. publishing history
- Pioneer correspondence and personal collections
- The Oxford Group and pre-A.A. influences
- Jack Alexander and early national press coverage
- Richmond Walker and recovery literature
- Marty Mann and alcoholism education
- Al-Anon and family recovery
- Early pamphlets, periodicals, convention material, photographs, and ephemera
- Historical artifacts and exhibition material
A more detailed collection inventory, additional photography, and supporting documentation are available to serious prospective buyers.
Acquisition of the Mayflower Collection
The Mayflower Collection is presently being offered as one intact archive.
Because of the scale, historical significance, and complexity of the material, prospective buyers are invited to contact Recovery Collectibles directly for additional documentation, provenance records, photography, and a private discussion regarding acquisition.
A detailed collection portfolio and supporting materials are available to qualified prospective purchasers.
Private inquiries are welcomed.
