"Multilith Edition" differs from the "Printer's Copy" Copy of the First Edition Big Book

The Difference between the “Multilith Edition” (also known as the “Original Manuscript”) and
the “Printer's Copy” of the First Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous (the “Big Book”)

Prepared by Ken B.
August 3, 2011

[The following information is taken from:
Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age: A Brief History of A.A.
(New York, N.Y.: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1957)]

. . . the story section of the book was complete in the latter part of January, 1939. So at last was the text. . . . [W]e were preparing to rush the book to press.
But someone . . . sounded a note of caution. . . . “How do we know for sure that this book will be widely acceptable to everybody? Maybe it still contains medical errors or material that might offend our friends of religion. Had we not better make a prepublication copy of the text and some of the stories and try the book out on our own membership and on every kind and class of person that has anything to do with drunks?” . . . Four hundred mimeograph copies of the book were made and sent to everyone we could think of who might be concerned with the problem of alcoholism. Each mimeograph was stamped “Loan Copy” in order to protect our coming copyright.
While we were waiting for the returns to come in, . . . [pp. 164-65]

By now great numbers of the 400 mimeographs which had been sent out had been returned. The total reaction was very good—indeed it was wonderful. Many helpful suggestions had been made, . . . [p. 167]

Nothing now remained except to prepare the printer's copy of the book. We selected one of the mimeographs, and in Henry's clear handwriting all the corrections were transferred to it. There were few large changes but the small ones were very numerous. The copy was hardly legible and we wondered if the printer would take it, heavily marked up as it was. [p. 169]

Very soon Henry, Ruth, Dorothy S. of Cleveland, and I wheeled up to Mr. Blackwell's big printing plant at Cornwall, New York, and checked in at the town's only hotel. We brought with us the mangled by precious printer's copy of Alcoholics Anonymous. When the Cornwall manager saw the mess our book was in he was so dismayed that he almost sent us home to make a fresh typing of the whole business. But salesman Henry prevailed upon him to try to make galleys, and day after day we corrected these as they issued from the shop. [p. 170]

. . . Cornwall Press told us the printing was ready. It was April, 1939. [p. 173]

Shortly after the publication of Alcoholics Anonymous in April, . . . [p. 173]