Chester H. Kirk Collection on Alcoholism and Alcoholics Anonymous
In 1995, Chester H. Kirk, in a generous contribution to the Brown University Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, established the Chester H. Kirk Collection on Alcoholism and Alcoholics Anonymous. The 15,000 items purchased initially with Chester Kirk's gift were amassed over two decades by Charles Bishop, Jr., an antiquarian bookseller and author of several research tools on Alcoholics Anonymous and related groups. Acquisition of this collection, one of the largest of its kind in the country, made Brown a center for the study of addiction to alcohol and other substances and for the history of attempts to treat or prevent addiction.
Chronologically, the collection ranges from a leaf from the 1493 Nuremberg Chronicle depicting a drunken Noah to late 20th century studies. The formats are equally diverse: in addition to printed books and pamphlets, there are periodicals, newspapers, dealers' catalogues, posters, prints, audiovisual materials, photographs, 18th century engravings and 19th and 20th century sheet music. American in emphasis, the collection provides superlative resources for the study of the temperance and prohibition movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, hospital-based treatment of addictive behavior, and the 20th century evolution of self-help programs epitomized by Alcoholics Anonymous. The collection includes a copy of the first book published in British North America on alcoholism, Anthony Benezet's
The Mighty Destroyer Displayed (1774), as well as current issues of
The Union Signal, the periodical of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. Related materials range widely, from those bearing on drinking customs (bartenders' guides and drinking vessels) to anti-drunk driving campaigns and studies of other widespread addictions such as tobacco and narcotic drugs.
NOTE: Researchers using this collection are asked to abide by the Anonymity Guidelines for the Brown University Library AA Collections.
Format(s): Books, Pamphlets, Manuscripts, Broadsides, Sheet Music, Museum Objects, Graphics, Documents
Library: Rock,
John Hay
NOTE: Portions of this collection are housed off-site. Prior notice is needed for retrieval
Access to the collection:
Online Catalog (BruKnow):
Individual records for most printed materials available on BruKnow
General description of the collection available on BruKnow
Guide to Alcoholism and Alcohol-Related Topics on Josiah
To Be Continued: The Alcoholics Anonymous World Bibliography
Kirk Collection Audiovisuals
Other Online Access:
Exhibit:
Of the Poison Brand
Digital Collection:
Alcohol, Temperance & Prohibition: A Brown University Library Digital Collection
Research Guide:
Alcohol and Addiction Studies: A Guide to Resources at Brown
Research Guide:
Alcohol and Drugs History Society blog
Publication:
Chester H. Kirk Collection (Bibliofile)
Publication:
Chester Kirk Donates Collection (Among Friends)
Publication:
Culture, Alcohol and Society Quarterly: Newsletter of the CAAS Collections at Brown
Non-brown Web Page:
The Science of Addiction (Library of Congress)
In-house Access to the Collection:
Database
Charles H. Bishop's sale catalogue of the entire collection is available in the John Hay Library, currently only as a printout from the original ProCite database in two looseleaf binders (v.1: monographs; v.2: non-book formats).
Related Collections:
Dr. Bob Papers
NCADD (National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence) Archive
Anti-Saloon League Collection
Kurtz (Ernest) Alcoholism Collection
Snyder (Clarence) Alcoholics Anonymous Papers
Heath (Dwight B.) Collection
Lewis (David C.) Papers
