Alcoholics Anonymous AA Big Book Signed by Bill & Lois 1st Edition 11th Printing
Alcoholics Anonymous First Edition, 11th Printing, 1947 Works Publishing Inc. DOUBLE SIGNED by Bill Wilson, founder of Alcoholics Anonymous and his wife Lois Wilson, co-founder of the Al-Anon Family Groups. Inscription reads: Affectionately Bill & Lois Mar/22/1948. Fabrick with the sobriety date 10-31-45 under the inscriptions by Bill and Lois. This book is covered in a tooled and hand-stitched leather cover embossed with scrolling designs and the letters AA at the center.
The edges of the leather are worn. The stitching is brittle and some of it is missing. The endsheets are stained where they came in contact with the leather cover. The first couple pages have light stains from the leather. The title page has light shading from the leather in the upper right corner. The original blue cover has light wear on the front and back. The corners have light bumping. The gold gilt lettering is bright. The inside book hinges are not broken or torn. The binding is tight and there are no missing, loose, or torn pages. The photographs of the open book are representative of the condition of the pages throughout the book. The edges of the pages are lightly yellow with age. This book is accompanied by two items of personal memorabilia about the original book owner.The first is an original Alcoholics Anonymous member card with the name Vern Fabrick , address 2331 Cooley Place, Pasadena , Home AA Group of Pasadena , his sobriety date of October 31, 1945 and a check mark in the YES box by the question of whether he owns a car. The card has a tiny red a in the corner. There are no wrinkles or tears and the edges are in very good shape for a seventy-nine-year-old membership card. The name and sobriety date corroborate the information in the front of this book. The handwriting on the membership card and the name in the front of the book match, suggesting they are the writing of the owner.
The second item is an original letter from Paula Carpenter, Associate Editor of AA Grapevine dated December 15, 1964 to Mrs. Vernon Cooley at 2331 Cooley Place, Pasadena, CA , offering condolences on her husbands death but expressing gratitude that he had nineteen years of sobriety before he died. Vernon Edwin Fabrick was born on 4/22/1895 in Cedar Falls, Iowa to Harry Lewis Fabrick and Myrtle O Higgins.
It appears from historical records that he was the oldest of six children, one brother and four sisters. The family moved to Pasadena by the time he was five. On September 11, 1911, Vernon and several boys were target shooting when his friend George Burgshat went forward to set up a target and was accidentally shot in the lung and right arm by Vernon. Reports at the time indicate the Burgshat boy survived.
On June 14, 1914, Vernon married Winifred Emerine in Los Angeles, CA. On December 2, 1915, Vernon and his friends A. Haas were charged with stealing a Ford automobile from the local Moose hall in Long Beach, CA. The four young men were allegedly running a business of dismantling and rebuilding stolen cars.
Judge West gave them each probation for five years and mandated they refrain from smoking cigarettes or be sent to San Quentin. On October 31, 1942, Vernon had his last drink. He died June 18, 1964 in Los Angeles County, California. He had lived in Pasadena 65 years. He was survived by his wife Winifred, his mother, four sisters and his brother. He was buried at Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena, CA, having remained sober for the last nineteen years of his life. This is a highly collectible double-signed copy in very good condition with terrific provenance and a charming personalized Alcoholics Anonymous themed cover. Please see the photos for the condition of the book and the leather cover used by the original book owner.No return on this item. Willing to consider reasonable offers.
The item "Alcoholics Anonymous AA Big Book Signed by Bill & Lois 1st Edition 11th Printing" is in sale since Sunday, July 28, 2019. This item is in the category "Books\Antiquarian & Collectible". The seller is "iwritescripts" and is located in Beavercreek, Oregon. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Subject: Self-Help
- Place of Publication: New York
- Topic: Alcoholics anonymous
- Year Printed: 1947
- Special Attributes: 1st Edition
- Original/Facsimile: Original
- Binding: Hardcover