Rowlings birth name before she took a pen name and a. In the rare book world, is there a difference between a first edition and a first printing. A special booklet, titled a brief history of the big book, in english, spanish and french, will be included with all orders of this commemorative edition big book. May have occasionally stated first edition, but in general, the absence of a later printing statement indicates a first edition. No matter where you are in the creative process for custom transfers, starter art, or stock transfers, our staff can help get you the sharp product you are looking for. The 4,650 first edition, first printing copies printed have slowly vanished from the market. Browse through our inventory or contact us to discuss your rare book collection. The book will probably never go out of print as it has set the standard for fighting addictions. Alcoholics anonymous first edition, eighth printing 1945 big book, small war time publishing.
Alcoholics anonymous first edition, seventh printing 1945 big book. The holy grail of aa big book collections heads to auction fine. The first edition refers to a books first printing run. First edition of bill wilsons classic work, one of the bestselling books of all time. According to the definition of edition above, a book printed today, by the same publisher, and from the same type as when it was first published, is still the first edition of that book to a bibliographer. For many vintage books or books published by a small imprint, only 100 or so copies were run for the first edition, so they are both highly sought after and hard to find.
First editions of peter rabbit from the cataloguers desk. In all, there were 16 printings that each have a story to tell. Alcoholics anonymous first edition first printings 1939 for sale. This is the fourth edition of the big book, the basic text for alcoholics anonymous. The first edition of harry potter and the philosophers stone is the only book in the series that credits joanne rowling as its author j. Seuss books presented, the first edition book can be identified without the dust jackets. As photographers, much time and energy has been spent creating your image, from capturing it in your camera to creating your masterpiece. Big book is in very good condition with light wear to spine gold gilding strong on front and spine. Alcoholics anonymous first edition, first printing 1939 big book inscribed by bill wilson to margret bobbie burger, her personal gift book, with its original dust jacket. First printings are rare, signed and inscribed copies exceptionally so.
Since first edition generally means the first printing of the first edition for modern works, a book described as a first edition, second printing might be a little confusing. In a couple of cases, the book is the first editionfirst or early printing. Alcoholics anonymous first edition, first printing 1939 big book ny. View by list pass it on a brief history of the big book a. I have a copy and it is quite useful for checking out changes in the book.
This is not really my area, but an edition of a text can go through many printings, sometimes with decades or even centuries between them. Aa big book aa big book taghere the foundation progress and principles washington. A guide to collecting alcoholics anonymous big book. Dear john grant we have come a long way since this volume was printed. However, book collectors generally use the term first edition to mean specifically the first print run of the first edition aka first edition, first impression. In the world of book collecting, a first edition is generally considered to be the first appearance of a work, in its first printing. The book was released at the same time as the famed saturday evening post article written by jack alexander which hit the newsstands on march 1, 1941. Whats the difference between a first edition and a first printing. Bauman rare books first editions, signed and inscribed.
Big book is in very good condition with rub to top right corner of spine. Alcoholics anonymous 1st edition 1st printing 1939 dj aa. Alcoholics anonymous first edition bill wilson first. This conferenceapproved special edition of alcoholics anonymous is a reproduction of the first printing of the first edition of the big book as it was published in 1939. The first edition rare books rare books by notable people. It was printed on thick paper and had wide margins. The first printing of the first edition was published in april of 1939, followed by 15 more printings up until the release of the 2nd edition in 1955. Alcoholics anonymous big book 1st edition 8th printing for. The 2nd printing of the first edition alcoholics anonymous big book was published in march 1941. How to identify first editions book collecting guide. There is a no apparent writing in the book and there are no missing pages, the cover has general soiling, the spine ends are rolled, the gilt lettering on the front cover is dull and about 95% present, the gilt. This was an attempt by bill w to give the impression the purchaser was getting something for the price, which was very high in 1939. When the supply of the first printing or impression runs low, and the publisher needs more copies a second printing is done.
First edition big book 75th anniversary reproduction alcoholics. First is a first edition, first printing of the big book from april 1939 in its original jacket, signed by bill wilson. However, book collectors generally use the term first edition to mean specifically the first print run of the first edition aka first. This is sellers stated information about their respective copies.
Several more expensive copies are available via abebooks. Service manualtwelve concepts for world services alcoholics anonymous comes of age alcoholics anonymous facsimile first printing of the first edition alcoholics anonymous big book 4th edition as bill sees it came to believe daily reflections dr. Also, why the difference is price between these two listings for the same title. If the initial print run known as the first printing or first impression sells out and the publisher decides to produce a subsequent printing with the same typeset, books from that second print run can be described as a first edition, second printing. Alcoholics anonymous first edition, first printing hardcover book, signed and inscribed by aa cofounder bill wilson on the front free endpaper. Read more about dictionary of religious knowledge or dictionary of the bible theology religious biography all. Subsequent printings would be, for example, a 2nd printing but not a first edition.
For some blockbuster titles, this can be as many as 50,000 copies or more. Alcoholics anonymous the big book is one of the bestselling books of all time, having sold 30 million copies. This is a reproduction of the 1938 original manuscript of alcoholics anonymous. The original manuscript of the big book alcoholics anonymous. As well as being a beloved childrens story, the books publication history is very interesting, with two private printings. The first edition consists of all the copies printed from the first setting of type. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at.
Alcoholics anonymous the big book is one of the bestselling books of all time. But for older books, or books originally published by small imprints, the first run may have been as few as 100 copies. For a small press, this might be the only printing a book gets, so all copies are first edition, first printings. My intuition tells me that the first printing of certain editions may be the most valuable, since the first printing would of course be the oldest. First edition screenprinting is an allinone, easytoorder custom and stock transfer screenprinting company based in kansas. Previous owners sticker on top left inside board, gift inscription. Formally cornhusker press, first edition printing has been committed to provide our customers with the highest quality of service and the best affordable prices to compete with anyone in the metro area. As weve mentioned elsewhere, first edition means the first printing of a book. Alcoholics anonymous first edition first printings 1939. In this big book the founders of aa outline the organizations successful twelve step treatment method in one of the best selling books of all time. Identifying first editions the new antiquarian the blog.
Alcoholics anonymous first edition, first printing. At first this can become somewhat confusing because when a book becomes very popular and is often reprinted many times over a number. Aa big book aa big book taghere the foundation progress and principles washington temperance society of baltimore the missionary spirit alcoholism recovery 3rd edition 2nd edition alcohol allergy rehabilitation of alcoholics dr. Although it was not the first help book to be published, it proved to be the most collectible in its category. Those questions and more answered in this potter collector book. Gold gilding strong 90% front board, 100% spine top, 70% spine bottom. What are your harry potter bloomsbury edition books worth. Because of the national publicity aa grew from a membership of 2,000 to over 8,000 in record time. Its core members were kenny rogers lead vocals and bass guitar, mickey jones drums and percussion and terry williams guitar and vocals. The official publication date of the first printing of our big book, as noted by the united states copyright office, was april 10, 1939. The abaa glossary is a master of understatement when it says every printed book has a first edition, many never have later editions.
The first edition rare books offers collectors the finest selection of important rare books from around the world. Book is in very good condition, with gold gild faded on spine, wear to top and bottom of spine, light blemishes and stains to boards. Reproduction of the first printing of the first edition aa services on. In nearly all cases, the book is also the first editionfirst printing.
I wanted a 2nd edition aa big book to read the different stories in the back. Collecting, identifying, and valuing first edition dr. No statement on the first edition or sometimes stated first printing. A guide to collecting alcoholics anonymous big book abebooks. How much is a first edition alcoholics anonymous book. A seventh printing sold for 2,750 several years ago but you are unlikely to find that printing as cheap as that again. This is the 1st printing of the aa big book of which there were only 4,650 to 4,670 copies printed, far fewer than the ensuing printings that included 20,000 for the 8th and 9th printings, 25,000 for the 10th and 11th printing, 42,350 for the 12th printing, 50,000 for the th printing and 49,800 for the 14th printing. An affordable reproduction of the original big booka a. Alcoholics anonymous first edition, first printing inscribed and signed by aas cofounder bill wilson. Until 1956, may not have used a firstedition statement. Stated published in year on the first edition, but may have failed to change this notice on later printings. A first edition print of alcoholics anonymous big book, in mint condition can be worth as much as any collector is willing to pay.
No writing or marking to pages other than previous owners name on first blank page. Works publishing company, april 1939, hardcover 400pp. Alcoholics anonymous first edition bill wilson first edition. Alcoholics anonymous facsimile first printing of the first edition. The first printing is the first batch of books printed from this first setting of type. Alcoholics anonymous first edition, first printing big book origin of the aa twelve step system. The description says 2nd edition big book, not the same 164 pages and the same forewords that are in the 3rd and 4th editions. The story of how more than one hundred men have recovered from alcoholism. Fun to have a reproduction of the first edition as a collection for my shelf. What we do at first edition print our goal is to take the art you create out of the digital world and bring it to the tangible world of giclee printing. An edition includes all copies printed from the same plates or setting of type without substantial change. The first edition refers to a book s first printing run. Mar 20, 2018 whats the difference between a first edition and a first printing.
Feb 09, 2020 we are bringing to you a series about the alcoholics anonymous basic text. One of the most popular childrens books of all time, the tale of peter rabbit has sold more than 45 million copies over the past century. The first printing is also what book collectors call a first edition. Alcoholics anonymous first edition, first printing 1939 big book. Includes a reproduction of the original dustjacket. Alcoholics anonymous first edition 14th printing 1951 origina dj 1st aa big book. In 2011, time magazine placed the book on its list of the 100 best and most influential books written in english since 1923, the beginning of the magazine. So if you ask the printer to print 10,000 copies of a book and then you sell them all and go back and ask for another 7,500 copies, the first 10,000 copies was the first printing.
First edition printing has been serving omaha since 1937. On the other hand, if substantial changes are made to the book after its first printing, perhaps the addition of a chapter or a foreword, then the. Hard cover reproduction of the first printing of the first edition of alcoholics anonymous. In this series we will be discussing much of the history surrounding the first edition big book. Unfollow aa big book first edition to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Special edition with red hardcover binding, the famous circus cover dust jacket and bulky paper which was why it was initially called the big book. Alcoholics anonymous 1st edition, 1st printing, april 1939 works publishing company. Finding and possessing a rare first edition book is often a goal of both the novice and expert book collector. Alcoholics anonymous 1st edition 1st printing 1939 dj aa big. Detailsto commemorate the 75th anniversary of the historic publication of alcoholics anonymous in april 1939, the 20 general service conference approved the creation of this facsimile edition of the first printing of the first edition. Sep 20, 2016 alcoholics anonymous first edition, first printing inscribed and signed by aas cofounder bill wilson. With few exceptions, collectors are seeking the first edition, first printing of a book. How much is a first edition alcoholics anonymous book worth. Alcoholics anonymous first edition bill wilson first edition signed.