Which “Big Book” (the
Alcoholics Anonymous Basic Text) Should We Use?
By Dick B.
© 2014 Anonymous. All
rights reserved
Until just recently, if an A.A. group chose to use the first
(1939) edition of Alcoholics Anonymous (“the Big Book”), it might encounter
several objections: (1) The 1939 edition is not copyrighted and is thus in the
public domain; i.e., it is not/no longer “owned” by Alcoholics Anonymous World
Services, Inc. (2) The 1939 edition was not “A.A. General Service
Conference-approved” (as there was no “Conference” in existence in 1939 to
approve it!); and therefore, some asserted, neither individuals nor groups
should (be allowed to) use it. (3) Use
of the 1939 edition, some asserted, was (somehow) a violation of the Twelve
Traditions because that edition was not A.A. General Service
Conference-approved literature. (4) Occasionally, groups have been stricken, or
barred, from A.A. office group listings if someone decided that a particular
piece of literature was not A.A. General
Service Conference-approved, was considered religious, or had not been approved
by Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., in New York.
Next, though few seemed to realize it, the personal
testimonies in the “Personal Stories” section of the A.A. Big Book--the largest
portion of the basic text book in all four of its editions—were intentionally and
systematically removed from editions of the Big Book.
Specifically, 22 of the original 29 personal testimonies in
the first edition’s “Personal Stories” section were not included in the second
(1955), third (1976), and fourth (2001) editions. And another four of the first
edition’s personal testimonies in that section were not included in the fourth
edition. Thus, all but three of the personal testimonies in the “Personal
Stories” section of the first edition of the Big Book were removed; and they
have seldom been seen or studied by any group or individual. A few years back,
the 26 first edition personal testimonies not in the fourth edition were
reprinted by A.A. itself—but with apologies and criticisms. In 2003, A.A. published Experience, Strength and Hope:
Stories from the First Three Editions of Alcoholics Anonymous (New York,
NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 2003). This book contains the
statement: “This is A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature.” This
volume also states:
The importance of these personal stories cannot be
overstated. [p. ix]
Experience, Strength
and Hope then quotes A.A. cofounder Bill W. as follows from a 1954 letter
he wrote “when he was immersed in collecting new stories for the second edition
. . .”:
“The story section of the Big Book is far more important
than most of us think. . . . [I]t is the written equivalent of hearing speakers
at an A.A. meeting; it is our show window of results.” [p. ix]
After quoting Bill W. himself as to the importance of the
personal testimonies of early AAs, the book begins to bring into question both
those A.A. pioneers and their personal testimonies—particularly those stories
found in the first edition:
Most of the A.A. writers got sober before the Twelve
Traditions had been adopted, many of them in that chaotic period when A.A. was
“flying blind” and learning from its many mistakes.” [p. xi]
A little further on,
Experience, Strength and Hope goes on to say:
The stories that follow, reprinted from the first edition,
take us back to the “trial and error” days, . . . The A.A.s we meet here . . .
were still a little unsure and afraid of the “thing” they had found, still
groping for clear guidelines, still largely uneducated about their alcoholism.
[p. 2]
The book continues:
Some of the rough edges found in the first edition stories
(the use of profanity, for example, references to specific religious beliefs,
and several rather disorganized stories) would be smoothed out in those chosen
for later editions. [pp. 2-3]
We encourage readers carefully to note the following
characterizations found spread over the three statements quoted immediately
above:
“before the Twelve Traditions had been adopted”;
“that chaotic period”;
“its many mistakes”;
“a little unsure and afraid”;
“still groping”
“largely uneducated
about their alcoholism”; and
“rough edges . . . references to specific religious beliefs”
Such characterizations do little but diminish the stature,
reliability, and quality of the personal testimonies of those A.A. pioneers for
a sick, confused, bewildered newcomer. They tend to discourage the newcomer
from reading anything but what today’s authorities deem to be above question.
And these editorial characterizations come only many years after Dr. Bob, Bill
W., A.A. Number Three Bill D., and the many other successful pioneers were no
longer around to respond.
For all these reasons, we recommend the following
publication:
Alcoholics Anonymous: “The Big Book”: The Original
1939 Edition, with a New Introduction by Dick B. (Mineola, NY: Dover
Publications, Inc., 2011)
The A.A. General Service Conference-approved book Experience, Strength and Hope has now
essentially given “Conference-approved literature” status “retroactively” to
the personal testimonies in the “Personal Stories” section of the first edition
basic text. And the 23-page Introduction in the Dover Publications reprint of
the first edition provides the best historical backdrop for those who want to
know what early AAs did before there was a Big Book, before there were any
“Steps” or “Traditions,” and before there were any “drunkalogs” or meetings of
the kinds we know today. More and more AAs, members of other 12 Step
Fellowships and groups, and other students of A.A. history are using this Dover
Publications reprint of the first edition for their study sessions. The book is
available on Amazon.com for under $15.00:
http://mcaf.ee/j4hq5
“The Big Book Has Never Been Changed!”--???
By the way, have you ever heard the following claim?
“The Big Book has never changed!”
The assertion above is another one of the major, destructive
“myths” that have circulated within the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous because
so few have done the “careful reading” spoken of on page 567 of “Appendix II:
Spiritual Experience” in the fourth edition. Please note the following phrases
used in the Preface of the fourth edition:
“strong sentiment against any radical changes” [p. xi];
“the first portion of this volume, . . . has been left
largely untouched” [p. xi];
“revisions made for the second, third, and fourth editions”
[p. xi]’
“The second edition
added . . .” [p. xi];
“Upon careful reading”—to use again the language of the Big
Book—wouldn’t you agree that most reasonable people would already conclude that
the Big Book had been “changed?”
And there is much more.
“But the chief change [in the second edition] was in the
section of personal stories, which was expanded to reflect the Fellowship’s
growth. “Bill’s Story,” “Doctor Bob’s Nightmare,” and one other personal
history from the first edition were retained intact; three were edited and one
of these was retitled; new versions of two stories were written, with new
titles; thirty completely new stories were added; and the story section was
divided into three parts, under the same headings that are used now. [pp.
xi-xii; bolding added]
There is a significant inaccuracy in the section of basic
text quoted immediately above: “Bill’s Story” was not included in “the section
of personal stories” in any of the four editions of Alcoholics Anonymous. “Bill’s Story” is found on pages 10-26 of the
first edition; and is found on pages 1-16 of the second, third, and fourth
editions. The “Personal Stories” section begins on unnumbered page 181 of the
first edition; and it begins on unnumbered page 165 of the second, third, and
fourth editions.
In addition--and very significant to our discussion of
“changes” in the Big Book—there is what might be generously described as a
“misimpression” left by the section of text quoted above from pages xi-xii of
the fourth edition. What is not stated clearly in the section of the basic text
just quoted is that 22 of the original 29 personal testimonies found in the
“Personal Stories” section of the first edition basic text were not included in
the second edition. (See page ix of Experience,
Strength and Hope; and note that Experience,
Strength and Hope states on page 221 that the story titled “The Car
Smasher” in the first edition was retitled as “He Had to Be Shown” and was
completely rewritten for the second edition.) Those 22 personal stories were
also not included in the basic text of the third and fourth editions.
At least the discussion in the fourth edition’s Preface of
changes made in the fourth edition —including the exclusion of personal
testimonies found in the “Personal Stories” section of earlier editions--is
clearer:
This fourth edition . . . revises the three sections of
personal stories as follows. . . .
Part I . . . six
stories have been deleted. . . .
Part II . . . eleven
[stories have been] . . . taken out. . .
Part III . . . eight
[stories] . . . were removed . . .
Among those 25 personal stories from earlier editions that
were “deleted”/”taken out”/”removed” from the fourth edition, four were from
the first edition:
1. “He Had to Be
Shown” (which was titled “The Car Smasher” in the first edition, and was
retitled and completely rewritten for the second edition—see Experience, Strength and Hope, 221 note);
2. “The European
Drinker”;
3. “The News
Hawk” (which was titled “Traveler, Editor, Scholar” in the first edition, and
was retitled and edited for the second edition—see Experience, Strength and Hope, 268 note); and
4. “Home
Brewmeister.”
In other words, A.A.’s today who read the current (2001)
edition of Alcoholics Anonymous basic
text are only seeing three of the original 29 personal testimonies found in the
“Personal Stories” section of the first (1939) edition of the Big Book. That
is, in part, why the fourth edition’s Preface speaks of:
All changes made over the years in the Big Book . . .
Hopefully, from now on, you will reject the “myth” that “the
Big Book has never changed.”
And that is why we recommend, for your study and
recovery, that you select Alcoholics Anonymous: “The Big Book”: The Original
1939 Edition, Dover Publications’ reprint of the first edition, the Big
Book whose contents were printed before the many changes that were made in “the
Basic Text”—i.e., the whole book Alcoholics
Anonymous (see page ix of the fourth edition’s Preface: “. . . this book
has become the basic text for our Society.”)--and before so many of the
first edition’s personal testimonies were removed from sight for dozens of
years.
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