Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions — First Edition, First Printing (1953) Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc. — Original Dust Jacket
Offered here is a 1953 First Edition, First Printing of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, published by Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc. and retaining its original blue-and-black dust jacket.
The copyright page is correctly marked:
FIRST EDITION D-C
identifying this as the original 1953 printing of one of the most important books ever published by Alcoholics Anonymous.
This is the Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc. issue, produced for distribution through the Fellowship itself. At the same time, Harper & Brothers handled copies intended for the outside commercial book trade, creating two distinctly different presentations of the same landmark text.
For collectors, the two 1953 issues form one of the most interesting publishing pairs in early A.A. literature.
The A.A. Publishing First Printing
The Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing issue is immediately recognizable by its distinctive presentation:
- Original blue-and-black striped dust jacket
- Jacket price of $2.75
- Blue paper-covered boards with a black cloth spine
- Gold spine lettering reading Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
- Title page identifying Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc.
- No author identified on the title page
- Copyright page marked “FIRST EDITION D-C”
These characteristics distinguish it from the simultaneously issued Harper version, which used a green-and-black jacket, light-colored boards with a black spine, silver lettering, and identified the author simply as “Anonymous.”
A Landmark Moment in A.A. Publishing History
The publication of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions in 1953 represented an important stage in the development of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Bill W.’s essays expanded upon the Twelve Steps first introduced in the 1939 Alcoholics Anonymous and provided a detailed explanation of the Twelve Traditions—the principles developed to protect the unity, independence, and long-term survival of A.A. groups.
The book appeared just as A.A.‘s publishing operation itself was changing. Works Publishing, Inc. had been renamed Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc., giving the Fellowship’s publishing activities an identity more clearly connected with Alcoholics Anonymous.
The 1953 General Service Conference report noted that the new name had already been used in Bill’s new book, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions.
Demand was immediate. The same Conference report recorded that nearly 6,000 copies had been ordered by A.A. groups within ten days of the book’s announcement.
A.A. Publishing and Harper & Brothers
Another particularly interesting aspect of the First Printing is that two versions entered circulation.
Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc. retained ownership of the book and distributed copies within A.A., while Harper & Brothers was approved to distribute the new volume through non-A.A. outlets.
The arrangement gave Bill W.’s new book access to bookstores, libraries, professionals, clergy, families, and other readers who might otherwise never encounter A.A. literature.
Today, the two issues provide collectors with a tangible record of how Alcoholics Anonymous was simultaneously serving its own rapidly expanding Fellowship while introducing its principles to the wider public.
Condition
This copy retains its original 1953 Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc. dust jacket.
The blue-and-black jacket remains attractive and substantially complete. It shows age-appropriate edge wear, rubbing, small chips and short tears, particularly along the upper and lower edges, folds, corners, and spine ends. There is scattered surface wear and some light discoloration, but the blue-and-black design remains strong and the front panel displays very well.
The book itself is particularly attractive. The blue boards remain clean and evenly colored with only light edge and corner wear. The black cloth spine is well preserved, and the original gold lettering and decorative lines remain clear and bright.
The endpapers show light age toning and some faint discoloration, including a rectangular area of toning on the rear free endpaper. The title and copyright pages remain clean and clearly display the important First Edition publishing information.
Overall, the book presents very nicely, particularly when displayed in its original jacket.
Please review all photographs carefully for the exact condition of this copy.
A Cornerstone of Early Alcoholics Anonymous Literature
For collectors of A.A. history, the 1953 First Printing of Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions is much more than an early edition of a familiar book.
It represents the first appearance of Bill W.’s extended writings on both the Steps and Traditions, the emergence of Alcoholics Anonymous Publishing, Inc. under its new name, and an important moment when A.A. began deliberately expanding the reach of its literature both within and beyond the Fellowship.
With its original blue-and-black dust jacket, D-C First Edition designation, and distinctive A.A. Publishing binding, this is an excellent representative example of one of the foundational publications in Alcoholics Anonymous history.
