Access to various historical Alcoholics Anonymous information and pre-AA Temperance related information
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Miscellaneous Alcoholics Anonymous PDF files, including many pre-AA Temperance publications in no particular order.
First 100 Members -This contains a list of the 1st 100 members from Ohio and New York. This file also contains footnotes
AA’s Forgotten Beginning – The Alcoholics Anonymous “Beginners’ 1940’s Classes.” Facts and thoughts transcribed from a talk given by Wally P. on 11/23/96 in Mesa, Arizona. Wally is the author of the book “Back To Basics: The Alcoholics Anonymous Beginners’ Meetings, ‘Here are the steps we took…’ in Four One-Hour Sessions”… Contains 4 pages.
Ernest Kurtz: The Historian as Story teller and Healer
Ernest Kurtz has made significant contributions to the addictions field through his classic treatise on the history of Alcoholics Anonymous, his writings on spirituality, his collaboration on studies of addiction recovery, and his prolonged service as teacher and mentor. This article profiles the life and thought of Ernest Kurtz, with a particular focus on the themes that permeate his written work and professional presentations.
Dear Barry, Friday the Thirteenth, 1945A.C. Hyde Realtor
Complete and Personalized Real Estate Service
1901 Prospect Road, Peoria, Illinois
Phones 2-5522, 2-0445, 2-4304
This was a letter to Barry from a man named, “Bud.”
Early Indianapolis A.A.-A Pictorial View -by Bob S.
44 pages of Alcoholics Anonymous historical information in Indianapolis, Indiana.
A Way Of Life -An Address to Yale Students, Sunday evening, April 20th, 1913, by William Osler. (London Constable & Company LTD. 1913)… Contains 61 pages.
AA Meeting Contributions Comparison -“We are self-supporting through our own contributions” – The suggested AA donation in 1970 was $1.00.
AA History Meeting Format -Work Shop Format – UNITY WORKSHOP GROUP. This book contains 199 pages with a lot of historical information… Contains 12 pages.
A Manual For Alcoholics Anonymous, The Akron Manual, 1940 -Foreword-This booklet is intended to be a practical guide for new members and sponsors of new members of Alcoholics Anonymous… Contains 12 pages.
A Manual For Alcoholics Anonymous, The Akron Manual, 1940 -Foreword to the Akron Manual Booklet -This booklet is intended to be a practical guide for new members and sponsors of new members of Alcoholics Anonymous… Contains 10 pages.
2nd Reader for Alcoholics Anonymous -YOU HAVE BEEN a member of Alcoholics Anonymous for several weeks, Or is it several months? The bright, shining newness has started to dull just a little. The first glamorous flush of sobriety has started to wear off. There is, you know, a lot of glamour connected with the first weeks in AA… Click on the link to read all 14 Pages.
Alcoholics Anonymous Daily Reflections -373 pages. (copyrighted – DO NOT COPY)
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Recovery Outcome Rates -Contemporary Myth and Misinterpretation, January 1, 2008, Updated with 2007 Survey Results, October 11, 2008. Version 1.10 Updated. Contains 34 pages.
The Amos List, 1938 -A list of names written on paper with the letter head of, Dr. R. H. Smith (Doctor Robert Holbrook Smith, MD.) 928 Second National Building, Akron, Ohio.
Annual Report Of The Trustees of the Massachusetts Hospital for Dipsomaniacs and Inebriates, March, 1893 -Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Co., State Printers, 18 Post Office Square, 1893. (Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Office of the Secretary, Boston, March 14, 1893)… Contains 662 pages.
As Bill Sees It -Contains 172 pages... (copyrighted – DO NOT COPY)
EL LIBBRO AZUL -Traducción española del texto básico de la Edición de los Pioneros de Alcohólicos Anónimos. 1997. PRÓLOGO A LA PRIMERA EDICIÓN (Aparecida en abril de 1939)… Contains 162 pages.
BECOMING RECOVERED -The purpose of this book is to change your life. If you are suffering from an addiction—either your own or someone else’s—you might need a spiritual awakening in order to recover. This book will provide clear directions as to how you can acquire such an awakening… Click the link to read further… Contains 83 pages.
The Big Book -Alcoholics Anonymous, the book. Cover, Foreward, The Dr.’s Opinion, Chapters 1 thru 11, Dr. Bob’s Nightmare and Spiritual Experience… Contains 188 pages.
Big Book Name And Date References -(Compiled by Tony C. and Barefoot Bill) Page/Chapter – Name – Description. Contains 13 pages.
A letter from Bill Wilson to a man named Russ -A Letter From Bill Wilson About The Use Of The Lord’s Prayer At A.A. Meetings dated April 17, 1959 to Russ.
THE ORIGINAL “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. It is unclear at what time during the writing of the Big Book “Bill’s Story” became chapter one. The language in this draft is in many ways different than the final manuscript. This illustrates the process of having many individuals add their opinions to the contents… Contains 21 pages.
Chapter IV-We Began To Count Noses
“The Golden Road of Devotion” Pathway to a New Freedom and a New Happiness, ©2009 Just Another Layman with a Notebook All Rights Reserved. “So, on this late fall afternoon in 1937, Smithy and I were talking together in his living room, Anne sitting there, when we began to count noses.” -Bill W. June 12, 1954… Contains 51 pages.
A.A. Sponsorship Pamphlet -by Clarence Snyder 1944
This is the first pamphlet ever written concerning sponsorship. It was written by Clarence H. Snyder in early 1944. Its original title was to be “A.A. Sponsorship…Its Obligations and Its Responsibilities.” It was printed by the Cleveland Central Committee under the title: “A.A. Sponsorship… Its Opportunities and Its Responsibilities…” Contains 4 pages.
The Common Sense of Drinking -by Richard R. Peabody
Boston: Little Brown and Co. 1930 -Introduction: In the twentieth century, with its high-pressure demands on nervous systems which have not yet become adapted to big business, mass production, telephones, automobiles, high economic standards, – in fact, bigger, faster, and noisier living conditions, -alcohol has come to play an ever-increasing part as a narcotic, rather than a mere social stimulant…Click link to read further. Contains 104 pages.
Memorial Service for Dr. Bob -24th Street Clubhouse, New York City, N.Y., November 15, 1952. A meeting was held at the 24th Street Club House in memory of Dr. Bob. A recording of Dr. Bob’s last talk was played and a portrait of Dr. Bob was unveiled. Bill W. then addressed the meeting.
Habits That Handicap -Yale Medical Library, Historical Library. The Gift Of The Connecticut Society Of Mental Hygiene.
“Habits That Handicap” The Menace of Opium, Alcohol, and Tobacco, and the Remedy -by Charles B. Towns, New York, The Century Co. 1917… Contains 316 pages.
Help For The Hard Drinker -by Charles B. Towns, Author of: “The Injury of Tobacco”. What Can Be Done To Save The Man Worth While. Contains 7 pages.
Jimmy Burwell Memoirs -MEMOIRS OF JIMMY “THE EVOLUTION OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS” By Jim Burwell
Jim Burwell was among the first members of A.A. to get sober in New York. His sobriety date is 6/16/38 and his story can be found in the Big Book on page 238 called “The Vicious Cycle”. Please keep in mind when reading this that some of his recollections, especially the specific facts around the first meeting of Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, are inconsistent with more reliable versions of the same story… Contains 6 pages.
A Statement by Leonard V. Harrison -on Future Organization and Responsibility of the Board of Trustees of the Alcoholic Foundation, July 23, 1946. This statement is in the nature of a response to Bill Wilson’s communication of July 10, 1946, to the Trustees of the Alcoholic Foundation… Contains 9 pages.
Marty Mann and the Evolution of Alcoholics Anonymous -by Sally Brown
Marty Mann is scarcely a household word today, yet she is arguably one of the most influential people of the 20th century. Marty’s life was like a blazing fire, but was nearly extinguished by personal tragedy and degradation. She rose to a triumphant recovery that powered a historic, unparalleled change in our society. Through her vision and leadership, the attitude of America toward alcoholism was changed from a moral issue to one of public health… Contains 3 pages.
Membership List -October 1st, 1940
In an October 1, 1940 report to the Trustees, Bill Wilson estimated the A.A. membership as follows:… -from Jim Burwell
103 “MUSTS” IN THE BIG BOOK -compiled by Dave F.
If you go to enough meetings, you’ll hear it said that in AA, “there are no musts, only suggestions”. Well, like most half-truths in A.A., if you hear them long enough you begin to believe them. But what does the Program have to say about this?… Contains 5 pages.
Oxford And The Groups -The University Of Chicago Library. Purchased from the Income of: The Harriet Monroe Fund for Modern Poetry. The Gift of A Friend of the University – BASIL BLACKWELL OXFORD, MCMXXXIV. Printed in Great Britain for BASIL BLACKWELL & MOTT LTD. by the KEMP HAll, PRESS LTD. in the City of Oxford… Contains 231 pages.
Group Theories Of Religion And The Individual -by Clement C. J. Webb
Fellow Of Magdalen College, Oxford Late Wilde Lecturer On Natural And Comparative Religion In The University Of Oxford.
London: George Allen & Unwin LTD. Ruskin House, 40 Museum Street, W.C. New York: The MacMillan Company. First published in 1916… Contains 217 pages.
Philadelphia A.A. Handbook Ideas, May 18, 1942 -To:
Miss Margaret R. Burger, Secretary,
The Alcoholic Foundation,
30 Vesey Street,
New York City.
Dear Miss Burger: Here’s a story of the Philadelphia Group from the handbook standpoint, as requested in your recent mimeograph… Contains 3 pages.
The Philosophy of Courage or The Oxford Group Way -by Philip Leon
With a new foreword by Glenn F. Chesnut. Original text published 1939 Oxford University Press This electronic edition distributed by stepstudy.org, 2008-FOREWORD by Glenn F. Chesnut. Philip Leon finished writing The Philosophy of Courage in December 1938, with a publication date in 1939.1 So it was not a direct influence on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, which was completed (basically anyway) slightly before that point, a bit earlier in 1938. But Leon puts down in print some of the most important of the Oxford Group ideas which… Contains 140 pages.
THE FORERUNNER – ROWLAND -By RON R.
After telling Rowland Hazard that he could never regain his role in society, Dr. Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) the renowned Swiss psychiatrist was asked, “Is there no exceptions?” “Yes,” replied Dr. Jung, “…once in a while alcoholics have had what are called vital spiritual experiences.” He went an to describe a spiritual experience as “… huge emotional displacements and rearrangements. Ideas, emotions, and attitudes which were once guiding forces … are suddenly cast to one side and completely new set of conceptions and motives begin to dominate them.” (Page 26-27 Alcoholics Anonymous, Also called: “Big Book”)… Contains 6 pages.
County of San Diego, California Alcoholics Anonymous History -“Published August 1979 by permission of the Coordinating Council of San Diego County Groups of Alcoholics Anonymous.” -Ron L. -The Story of Alcoholics Anonymous in San Diego… Contains 5 pages.
Set Up An Alcohol Asylum 1841 -Temperance pamphlets-Library Of The University Of Michigan. The Gift Of Tappan Presb. Assoc.
An Address To The Citizens Of Philadelphia, On The Subject Of Establishing An Asylum For The Cure Of Victims Of Intemperance. Philadelphia: Brown, Bicking & Guilbert, Printers, No. 56 North Third Street, 1841.
A meeting of Citizens of Philadelphia was held November 1840, to take into consideration the utility of establishing an “Asylum for the cure of Inebriates.”… Contains 16 pages.
SOUL SURGERY -Some Thoughts on Incisive Personal Work By H. A. Walter, M.A. -Originally published by John Johnson at the Oxford University Press -This electronic edition distributed by www.stepstudy.org -AUTHOR’S NOTE: For much of the general background of ideas in this pamphlet I am indebted to Professor Henry Wright, of Yale Divinity School, and Dr. Frank N. D. Buchman, of Hartford Theological Seminary, who acknowledge their own vast debt to the pioneer in this field, Henry Drummond… Contains 56 pages.
The Survival of a Fitting Quotation -by Michael StGeorge -Edition 1.0 © 2005 Michael StGeorge
“There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments, and which cannot fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance—that principle is contempt prior to investigation.”
Where exactly did this phrase come from?… Contains 70 pages.
Temperance Forced Abstinence -Compiled From “The Week”. Toronto: Printed By C. Blackett Robinson, 5 Jordan Street 1885
FREE TEMPERANCE
versus
FORCED ABSTINENCE… Contains 39 pages.
Temperance Pamphlets -The University Of Michigan Libraries
Various Temperance Pamphlets from the late 1800’s… Contains 417 pages.
ALDOUS HUXLEY, The Perennial Philosophy -1947 Chatto & Windus London – Published by Chatto & Windus London, Oxford University Press Toronto -INTRODUCTION: PHILOSOPHIA PERENNIS the phrase was coined by Leibniz; but the thing—the metaphysic that recognizes a divine Reality substantial to the world of things and lives and minds; the psychology that finds in the soul something similar to, or even identical with, divine Reality; the ethic that places man’s final end in the knowledge of the immanent and transcendent Ground of all being—the thing is immemorial and universal… Contains 365 pages.
The Philosophy of Courage – or The Oxford Group Way, by Philip Leon With a new foreword by Glenn F. Chesnut. Original text published 1939 Oxford University Press. This electronic edition distributed by stepstudy.org, 2008 -Philip Leon finished writing The Philosophy of Courage in December 1938, with a publication date in 1939.1 So it was not a direct influence on the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, which was completed (basically anyway) slightly before that point, a bit earlier in 1938. But Leon puts down in print some of the most important of the Oxford Group ideas which had so greatly influenced the early A.A. people,… Contains 140 pages.
The Danger Line Of Drink -by Richard R. Peabody
What are the signs which indicate that liquor is “getting” a man? Is it “hair of the dog” as salutary as it is supposed to be? hear are five rules by which to judge whether the road to alcoholism is open… Contains 4 pages.
The Eight Points Of The Oxford Group -An Exposition For Christians And Pagans -by C. Irving Benson. HUMPHREY MILFORD OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS CATHEDRAL BUILDINGS, MELBOURNE LONDON, EDINBURGH, TORONTO BOMBAY AND MADRAS 1938
Wholly set up and printed in Australia by Brown, Prior, Anderson Pty. Ltd., Printcraft House, 430 Little Bourke St., Melbourne, C.I, 2948… Contains 191 pages.
THE WASHINGTONIAN MOVEMENT -by Milton A. Maxwell, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Sociology State College of Washington Pullman, Washington QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF STUDIES ON ALCOHOL, VOL. 11, 410-452, 1950
Certain similarities between the Washingtonian movement of the nineteenth century and the present day fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous have been commented upon by a number of observers. In view of this resemblance, there is more than historical interest in an account of the first movement in the United States which brought about a large-scale rehabilitation of alcoholics. The phenomenal rise and spread of the Washingtonian movement throughout the land in the early 1940s was the occasion of much discussion, exciting a deep interest… Contains 29 pages.
Twelfth-Stepping References, Techniques, Tips, & Sponsorship Tools in the Big Book -346 Twelfth-Stepping References, Techniques, Tips, & Sponsorship Tools in the Big Book, “Alcoholics Anonymous” “Helping others is the foundation stone of your recovery.” –Alcoholics Anonymous, page 97… Contains 17 pages.
What is the Oxford Group? -By The Layman With a Notebook, With a foreword by L.W. Grensted Oriel Professor of the Philosophy of the Christian Religion. First published in 1933 by Oxford University Press, London. This electronic edition distributed by www.stepstudy.org with the permission of Oxford University Press… Contains 74 pages.
WHAT I FOUND OUT ABOUT THE OXFORD MOVEMENT -“Liberty” magazine, January 1, 1938, By Emily Newell Blair For liberals with common sense and open minds – A frank revelation from one who heard, saw, and was conquered.
“Statesman are saying that unless men make what they call “spiritual values” the basis of society, civilization as we know it is doomed. They say it, but they do nothing about it. Yet what these spiritual values are is well known, has been known for centuries: Honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love…” Contains 3 pages.