Bill Wilson's Alcoholics Anonymous

Question: What is the single most sought after and collected title in the history of book collecting? Answer: Bill Wilson's ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS.

Throughout history one of the most frustratingly incurable of mankind's many horrors has been the problem of alcoholism and addiction. In 1935, on Mother's Day, in Akron Ohio, what could be argued as one of the greatest positive events of the 20th century took place. Two hopeless drunks discovered a solution -- not a scientific cure for alcoholism, but a way NOT to drink -- one day at a time.

Not unlike the goings on almost two thousand years earlier among another group of people in trouble and in search, the very small group quickly became a community. From the dregs to the cream of society ...sitting together, laughing together, crying together, talking about strange things, people with a certain quality, a fellowship so oddly compelling that strangers dropping by out of curiosity would stay, saying "I don't understand this yet BUT I WANT IN." Soon a small group of 2 or 3 became many groups, then a large community. Then they decided to write it all down.

That's where we, as seekers and finders of out-of-print and collectible books come in. The sixteen printings of the 1st edition of ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, the original work and contributions of these first 100 or so men and women led by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, is out of print. It has been replaced by the current 3rd edition, revised and updated to more accurately and relevantly reflect the demographics of the current membership.

Book lovers with a personal interest in the fellowship, or those who just appreciate and understand its social, historical and medical importance, seek "the big book" 1st editions. In them they find a tangible link to the early formative years of the program, the history and lore of which has reached mythic proportions in some circles.

Forgetting the demand side of the supply and demand equation, the first 7 printings of ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS are genuinely scarce. The 2nd through 7th each had a print run of only 5000 copies (the coveted 1st printing, "the red book," having only 4,730). For those whose aspirations and/or budgets do not extend to those heights, the 8th through the 16th printings, whose print runs varied from about 15,000 to 50,000 copies, are much more affordable, starting around $400.

Almost every printing has a story or something about it that sets it apart from its fellows... The "green book"...the unaccountably rare (everyone's got a theory) 7th printing... the little 8th, published under the paper rationing strictures of WWII... and on and on.

In addition to the first editions, there are many avenues for one seriously interested in collecting AA material to pursue. The once lightly regarded 2nd editions with their unique reversible dust jackets have been seriously collected for the past several years now. Bill Wilson's involvement with a spiritual revival movement known as the Oxford Group Movement formed the basis of the program that evolved into ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS. Its history and literature are inextricably entwined with AA and are of a great deal of interest to those most interested in the spiritual foundation of AA. Fiction such as Charles Jackson's LOST WEEKEND, Upton Sinclair's CUP OF FURY, and biographies such as Lillian Roth's I'LL CRY TOMORROW are also possible ways to go.

The history of AA has left a paper trail, almost from its birth over 60 years ago. It is my belief that those interested in following it and owning bits and pieces of it will continue to grow just as its membership has over the years.

Copyright 1996 - 2001 C. Dickens Fine, Rare and Collectible Books, Atlanta, Georgia