Editors Editorial Staff Alcoholics Anonymous (3 results)

Soft Cover/Pamphlet. Condition: Good. July 2005. 64 pp. July 2005 issue only! Solidly bound copy with moderate overall wear and use. Clean text. Water stain on front page.

Soft Cover/Pamphlet. Condition: Good. July 2005. 64 pp. July 2005 issue only! Solidly bound copy with moderate overall wear and use. Clean text. Water stain on front page.

Half-Leather. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. Copyright 1957. 174 pp. A rare, hard-to-find, collectible, rounded corner gem! A rare, hard-to-find, out-of-print, scarce, true collectible gem! A wonderful copy! Solidly bound copy with moderate external wear, crisp pages and clean text. Light foxing on page edges, not affecting text. Rounded corner version. No dust jacket. Synopsis/History: It was written by Ed Webster of the Nicollet Group of Alcoholics Anonymous in Minneapolis, MN. Ed got sober December 13th, 1941, just 3 years after the publication of the Big Book. In those days, AAs who'd been in the program for a period of time taught Twelve Step beginners classes, usually over a period of four weekly meetings, to teach new members the ins and outs of taking the Twelve Steps. It was an effort to ensure that everyone understood and practiced basic AA principles before joining the regular group. Thankfully, there has been a resurgence in these sorts of classes since the late 1990s. Ed began leading the classes for his group in 1942, and The Little Red Book is essentially the notes he used to lead said classes in book form. It was first published in 1946. The original publisher "Coll-Webb Co." is actually an amalgamation of Ed's last name (Webster) and the last name of another member of the Nicollet Group, Barry Collins. Barry was the first Minnesotan to get sober in AA, and helped fund the publication of the Little Red Book. In it's first four printings, it was simply titled "The Twelve Steps." In 1949, it was officially titled what by then had become it's nickname "the little red book." Dr. Bob, one of AA's two co-founders, heartily endorsed the book, and it became extremely popular across the United States and Canada. It was even sold by the Alcoholics Anonymous central office for many years. Every new printing from 1946 to 1960 was revised and expanded. No two are exactly the same. From 1960 to 1970, only one word was changed: In 1964, the subtitle was changed from "An Interpretation." to "An Orthodox Interpretation." Ed transferred copyright of the book to Hazelden in 1968, and passed away (still sober) in 1971. In the pocket edition that was released that year, Hazelden made it's first change, removing a list from the introduction of why certain drinkers did not achieve sobriety in AA. In 1986, they completely revised the book, and that is still the version available for sale today.