2016 Reprint of 1938 Edition. In 1938, before the publication of the First Edition of "Alcoholics Anonymous," four hundred copies of a preliminary edition (which promised a book to follow when it was finally published) were published and sent out by Bill Wilson and Hank Parkhurst. The cost of printing the four hundred copies was one hundred sixty-five dollars. Each was about 85 pages, spiral bound. A number were sent out to members, doctors, clergy and other friends of the movement for their comments, criticism, and evaluation. The balance of the copies were sold to people who had ordered the book prior to final printing. There was no notice of copyright nor notice of the multilith being a review or loan copy. As the multilithed printing was published, sold and distributed to the public without these notices, according to the Copyright Act of 1909, it and all subsequent printings were forever in the public domain.
The original manuscripts are very rare today, probably less than fifty are still in existence. There were apparently two separate printings, with either 21 or 22 stories. One had anapparent typo on the title page, an apostrophe in the word ALCOHOLIC'S.
By the end of January 1939, all the changes, corrections, criticisms, and evaluations had been accomplished, the remainder of the personal stories were finished, bringing the total to twenty-nine, and the big book first edition of the "Big Books" was ready to be published. It rolled off the presses in early April, 1939. -Citation from: http: //www.barefootsworld.net/aaorigmanuscript.html