For the completist, there are several different books that could be collected, if you are inclined.  I'm trying to list them

• Grey Form (Nov 1981).  Beware:  bootlegs.  If the binding is shiny and the paper bright white, you have a fake.  If it smells like the print shop, guess what it's fake. 
• Approval Form (1982 Book one only - saddle stitch)  Beware: 4 Million bootlegs.  In many locations, the literature committee's function was to print these and many locales prided themselves on how well their printing of the approval form compared.  Even after the first edition was available, it was still widely used, to get the book into the hands of the addicts,as the first edition was not really readily available
• Stories Approval Form (1982) from 7th World Lit Conference.  with checklist
• First Edition Red (March 1983) with space for hand written number.  Front cover:  It Works Approx 2500 +/-. Retail $25
• First Edition Blue (March 1983) only difference is color and no page for hand written number Retail $8.  Front cover:  It Works
• Second Edition with no stickers (July 1983) with Traditions 4 & 9 as in Approval form
• Second Edition with stickers.  (1984) Approx 5,000 have stickers on Traditions 4 & 9.  Stickers on DJ.  Yes these are less copies with the stickers than don't have them. 
• Third Edition - (1984-1986) 7 printings with printing numbers notated
• Third Edition Revised (1986)
• Fourth Edition - (1987-1988) 6 printings hardcover
• Fourth Edition Variants - 2nd and 3rd printing were printed without the bottom 2 paragraphs on page 87.  You could get a sticker to correct the book, and so you could collect each of these printings with and without the sticker on page 87.
• Fourth Edition Softcover - all first printing.  Have page 87 error that could have a sticker for the bottom 2 paragraphs or not.  Try to get them both
• Fifth Edition - (1988-2008) First two printings have the binding type aligned the same as second edition thru fourth edition.  Perhaps the First 10 printings don't have a registered trademark symbol on the logo on the front.  The third printing is the first to have Narcotics Anonymous aligned along the binding.  There are over 62 printings of the english language fifth edition, not including several variations including foreign language, the first which was french (book one only) in 1989.  There is a braille book, a large print book, and a mini book which retails for higher than the regular sized book.
• Fifth Edition Softcover.  Many printings.  Collectable? 
• Fifth Edition Commemerative . Celebrating 1,000,000 copies in print.  Limited edition of 5000 with sewn in bookmarks and gilded page edges.  Retail : $35.00.  Rationale:  buy this book to fund the translation of the basic text into languages other than english.
• Fifth Edition Twentieth Anniversary Basic Text.  Limited edition of 15000 wrapped in plastic.  Retail:  $25.00.  Rationale:  buy this collectable book and try to get a good number.
• Sixth edition review and input stories form. 51 stories, roughly 252 pages. Free from NAWS at your request. With three holes and no binding. Input due date 2-28-2007. Could be available in local literature committee printings with better binding.
• Sixth edition approval copy.
• Conference Agenda Report 2008, containing Approval copy of the Sixth Edition (stories only)
• Sixth Edition Basic Text  (available soon)
  

Recordings

• Third Edition, Revised, cassette
• Fourth Edition,  cassette
• Fifth Edition, cassette
• Fifth Edition, CD Rom
• Fifth Edition, CD Audio

Trivia / Jokes

• Over 5.5 Million basic texts in print (including foreign language) and less than 3,000 are red!
• A guy walks into a kinkos and gets baby blue basic texts printed in bulk for around a dollar each.  Ten years later you pay $50 to get the same book.  MAYBE that makes sense, if it has FLC in the circle, as that's the first printing.  Last week a guy walks into kinkos and gets a baby blue basic text printed one with each color of cover stock that they have.  He's not getting a thousand printed, so maybe he pays $2 to get each one printed.  Maybe he pays $5.  YOU, on the other hand, pay $25 to $75 for the same third edition with original 4th and 9th traditions bootleg booklet - one in each color.  Should you get your head checked?
• FLC stood for Fellowship Literature Committee.
• The Sixth Edition will cost more than the fifth edition.  The fifth edition does not become ''unapproved'' by having the sixth edition out.  Your area, or group can still sell the fifth edition to members long after the sixth edition is available - probably at it's current price.  You may want to stock up on fifth editions to save on this increase in cost.  Here it comes