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| Web Pages |
| Alcoholics and God - Liberty Magazine |
| The September 1939 Liberty Magazine article on Alcoholics Anonymous. First national coverage of AA. |
| Plain Dealer |
| Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper articles on Alcoholics Anonymous. Elrick Davis, 1939. Took AA beyond mere word of mouth. |
| The Jack Alexander Article |
| "Alcoholics Anonymous" by Jack Alexander, Saturday Evening Post, March 1, 1941. This resulted in a major growth of AA. {Mandatory MIDI music while you read it.) |
| A.A. History Buffs |
| A discussion group for those interested in the history of Alcoholics Anonymous. (Was replaced by AA History Lovers.) |
| The Oxford Group Connection |
| Many spiritual principles of Alcoholics Anonymous came from the Oxford Groups, an early 20th century religious movement. This article traces that part of AA history. |
| Christian or Occult Roots? |
| The authors suggest that AA did not originate in Christianity since it has never required members to believe in Christ crucified. |
| Biographies of the Authors of the Big Book Stories |
| The short biographies of the various authors of the stories in the back of the book - Alcoholics Anonymous. |
| Angel of Hope |
| Offers a video biography of Sister Ignatia who provided medical care for many early members of Alcoholics Anonymous. |
| The Varieties of Religious Experience |
| In 1938, a future founder of Alcoholics Anonymous read "Varieties of Religious Experience" by philosopher and psychologist William James. Some of these ideas were important in the history of A.A. principles. Complete text. |
| The Oxford Group Connection |
| An article about the Oxford Group and its influence in the early history of Alcoholics Anonymous. Focuses on events from 1908 through the founding of AA in 1935. |
| Northern Illinois Area |
| How AA developed from the first intergroup in Chicago to what NIA is doing now. By Area 20 of Alcoholics Anonymous. (370k PDF requires Acrobat Reader) |
| A.A. History and Archives at Indiana University |
| Development of spiritual aspects of the A.A. program. Consists of articles and resource material formatted for easy printing. |
| For Drunks Only |
| Preface to "For Drunks Only" gives history of that book as well as the popular "Twenty-Four Hours a Day" meditation book. |
| The Lord's Prayer |
| Letter from AA co-founder Bill W about the custom of using this prayer to close an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. |
| Articles, Letters, and Pamphlets from Early AA |
| A collection of newspaper and magazine articles important to the growth of Alcoholics Anonymous. More history from old letters, brochures, and pamphlets. |
| How AA Came to Maryland |
| Starts with Maryland native Sam Shoemaker a pre-founder of AA. Follows others who brought the fellowship to Maryland and the development of early groups there. |
| How AA Came to Baltimore |
| Traces the history of the first groups. Includes text of local newspaper articles during that time. |
| Nell Wing |
| A 1994 "AA GrapeVine" interview with Nell Wing. She was Bill W's secretary from 1950 on. |
| Searcy W |
| Interview with early Texas AA member who was 54+ years sober at the time. |
| The Detroit Pamphlet |
| "An Interpretation of the Twelve Steps" is a historic pamphlet used in early Alcoholics Anonymous. Steps are arranged in four topics of Admission, Spiritual Phase, Inventory and Restitution, and Active Work. |
| The Akron Manual from 1940 (Part 1) |
| Historic pamphlet given to newcomers in the early days of Alcoholics Anonymous. |
| The Akron Manual from 1940 (Part 2) |
| Conclusion of historic pamphlet given to newcomers in the early days of Alcoholics Anonymous. |
| A Manual for Alcoholics Anonymous - 1940 |
| A Manual for Alcoholics Anonymous From AA Group No. 1, Akron, Ohio, 1940 - Dr. Bob's Home Group |
| Searcy's Book 1 |
| Offers a book on "My Alcoholism Recovery since 1946" and a history of how early A.A. groups started. |
| Tennessee Archives |
| This site is Tennessee State Archives of Alcoholics Anonymous in Area 64. The main purpose is to carry the message to the still suffering Alcoholic. |
| Sue Smith Windows Memorial Book |
| Obituary and funeral card of the daughter of Doctor Bob, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. February 15, 1918 to February 9, 2002. |
| In AA's First Five Years |
| An AA Grapevine article from 1967 by Lois W. A bit of Alcoholics Anonymous history including how Al-Anon was started. |
| An Illustrated AA Bibliography |
| Articles about important figures in the history of Alcoholics Anonymous. Some Oxford Group material. Links to pages with some audio clips. |
| The Four Absolutes |
| Honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love were "The Four Absolutes" of the Oxford Groups from which early Alcoholics Anonymous got many of its ideas. |
| An 1878 View of The Washingtonians |
| Article from book "The Temperance Reform and its Great Reformers." The Washingtonians was an early predecessor of AA which faded away. |
| AA Grapevine Archives |
| A growing collection of articles from the "AA Grapevine" magazine. Lots of Alcoholics Anonymous history in these pages. |
| How it Worked |
| The story of Clarence S and the early history of Alcoholics Anonymous in Cleveland, Ohio. Complete text available free on-line. His was "Home Brewmeister" story in the Big Book. |
| Writing The Big Book |
| Most of the ideas and wording in the A.A. book came from other writers. An essay by archivist and historian Mitchell K. |
| C.G. Jung and the Beginning of Alcoholics Anonymous |
| Part of a growing collection of articles in Jungian psychology. |
| Dr. Robert Smith Archives at Brown University |
| The collection of correspondence, meeting notes and books of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Dr. Robert H. Smith has been acquired by Brown University and will be made available to researchers interested in the origins of 12-step recovery programs. |
| Circle and Triangle Logo |
| What Happened To The Triangle In the Circle? History of why this symbol was removed from Alcoholics Anonymous publications in 1993. |
| Oxford Group Pamphlets Reprinted |
| Thirteen complete Oxford Group pamphlets. Most of AA spiritual principals were drawn from this group's writings. |
| Gresham's Law in Alcoholics Anonymous |
| This 1976 article from "24 Magazine" argues that weak A.A. is squeezing out strong A.A. practices. |
| Alcoholics Anonymous Historical Data |
| The Birth of A.A. and its growth in U.S. and Canada. By the AA General Service Office. |
| History in Photos |
| A photographic journey through the history of Alcoholics Anonymous. Founders, friends, and memorabilia. |
| Old School A.A. |
| A book about the Christian techniques of early A.A.'s Fellowship as reported by A.A. Trustee Frank Amos |
| AA History and Trivia |
| A sober web site for recovering alcoholics. Questions and answers on AA History and other fun for members of Alcoholics Anonymous and their friends. |
| Sobriety Medallions |
| Article traces the origin of the sobriety anniversary medallion to 1973 and a small mint named Wendell's. |
| Bill W Obituary |
| New York Times News Service article on the passing of A.A. co-founder Bill W on Sunday, January 24, 1971. |
| An A.A. History Archive |
| A collection of articles and letters relating to the early history of Alcoholics Anonymous. |
| The Co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous |
| Articles about and talks by Bill W and Doctor Bob S. Includes memorial service talk by Bill in memory of Bob. Some recordings available in Real Audio. |
| Mitchell K's A.A. Photographic History |
| AA's internet archivist has created a photographic journey through the history of Alcoholics Anonymous. |
| Photographs from AA History |
| A collection from the early days of Alcoholics Anonymous with a few more recent pictures. |
| Pre-Manuscript of Bill's Story |
| This is the first printed draft of the Big Book which was mailed to various individuals for their comments and also as a fund raising tool. |
| Original "How It Works" |
| Text of "How It Works" chapter as it was in the draft manuscript. |
| Ten Years of A.A. in Cuba |
| A report by someone who attended the tenth anniversary of Alcoholics Anonymous in Cuba. |
| Dr Harry Tiebout Papers |
| Dr. Harry M. Tiebout, a psychiatrist, was an early supporter of Alcoholics Anonymous. These papers are an important part of A.A. history. |
| Dr Silkworth Archive |
| Dr. William (Silky) Silkworth was a key figure in the history of Alcoholics Anonymous. This is a collection of articles by and about him. |
| A.A. History Lovers |
| A discussion group for those interested in the history of Alcoholics Anonymous. Replaced the earlier History Buffs group. |
| People in AA History |
| An Interwoven web of the People mentioned in Alcoholics Anonymous Literature, who they are and how they fit in |
| The Serenity Prayer |
| A 1992 article from "Box 4-5-9" on the origins of the Serenity Prayer and how it came to Alcoholics Anonymous. |
| Some Early Sobriety Mementos |
| Photos of some early tokens marking various periods of sobriety in AA. These led to the chips that some groups still use today. |
| Clarence Snyder - Home Brewmeister |
| A biography of the man who started AA in Cleveland, Ohio. This was the first group to be called Alcoholics Anonymous. |
| The Silkworth Net Collection |
| Provides resources on the subject of alcoholism and recovery, especially AA history and the Big Book "Alcoholics Anonymous." |
| Chicago AA History |
| Features an article by a delegate to the first General Service Conference. Also a member who came to AA in 1947 who died 50+ years sober. |
| ICYPAA History |
| International Conference of Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous. Presently limited to the location of their conventions 1958 to present. |
| The Common Sense of Drinking |
| This 1931 book by Richard Peabody was influential in the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous. Complete text is available as a PDF (Adobe Acrobat) file. |
| A.A. History by Mitchell K. |
| A collection of articles by historian and archivist Mitchell K. on the history of Alcoholics Anonymous. |
| Alcoholics Anonymous in Bristol and the West of England |
| Brief history of how AA came Bristol, England, and spread from there. |
| AA History from Cybriety.org |
| Scores of articles, letters, and pictures about the development of Alcoholics Anonymous. |
| Big Book Early Manuscript |
| This early draft of the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous was written before the manuscript that was distributed for review. |
| The Real Oxford Group Connection to A.A. |
| Summary of Dick B's writings on the Oxford Groups as related to AA as of 2002. |
| Dick B Articles on A.A. History |
| This prolific writer focuses on the Christian and Bible influences on early Alcoholics Anonymous. Several articles here. Links to other sites with even more. |
| A List of A.A. History Sites |
| Comprehensive reference list of A.A. history sites and resources used by A.A. historian Dick B. |
| Tombstone at Winchester Cathedral |
| Photograph of the tombstone which is quoted in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. |
| An Interpretation of the Twelve Steps |
| "First printed in September 1944" according to the first page. Steps are broken into four discussion topics. Also known as The Detroit Pamphlet. (PDF requires Acrobat Reader) |
| A.A. in Religious Magazines |
| Complete text of several articles in religious magazines. From the History Lovers archive. |
| A.A. in Regular Magazines |
| Complete text of several articles in general circulation magazines. From the History Lovers archive. |
| Second Annual AA History Conference |
| "A Spiritual Awakening." Features authors and archivests who are very familiar with the early years of AA. February 20-22, 2004 in Phoenix, AZ. |
| Success Rates in Early A.A. |
| Alcoholics Anonymous still works for alcoholics who want to stop drinking and who really try. Numbers look different because early AA prescreened candidates. Examples. |
| AA Grapevine on Early Groups |
| Collection of articles 1944-48 about activities of groups as they formed. Complete Grapevine text. From the History Lovers archives. |
| Bill W: Brooklyn's Most-Quoted Humanitarian |
| Excerpt from "Bill W." by Robert Thomsen summarizes the influence of the Alcoholics Anonymous co-founcer. |
| History of AA in Ireland |
| About the people who first brought Alcoholics Anonymous to Ireland. |
| Australian AA History |
| Tells of the start and growth of Alcoholics Anonymous in Australia (1942 thru 1999). |