The First Nationwide Alcoholics Anonymous History Conference

Dick B. is a writer, historian, Bible student, retired attorney, and recovered AA. He is active in the fellowship and has sponsored more than 100 men in their recovery. He has devoted 18 years to investigating, researching, analyzing, and disseminating the facts about early A.A. origins, roots, history, principles, and practices. He has published 33 titles and more than 170 articles on the subject and frequently speaks within and outside the fellowship. He is the leading A.A. early history scholar.

A companion to Dick B.'s most popular book, The Good Book and The Big Book: A.A.'s Roots in the Bible. This guidebook shows you how and where to study the Bible as the highly-successful early AAs did.

Intended for use by recovery newcomers, educational and religious alcoholism programs, recovery groups and treatment centers, and substance abuse agencies. Here, for the first time, is a simple, accurate, concise statement of the origins, trends, changes, and detours leading up to, involved in, and evolving from A.A.'s Big Book and Twelve Step spiritual program of recovery. A must for introducing the A.A./12 Step subject usefully

Dick B.'s latest exploration of, and report on the solid evidence that early AAs were cured of alcoholism and said so for the first decade after their founding. This title tells HOW. It explains the many reports of religious healings through the ages, the many in or observers of A.A. who proved that they were cured, the myths about God, alcoholism, and "no cure," and the key origins, roots, and elements of the early Akron Christian Fellowship where the cures occurred. A book for believers who know God's power and want to know how it was applied in the healing of alcoholism by A.A. pioneers

One-of-a-kind bibliography, research, and history resource containing explicit information about author Dick B.'s 16 years of research: (1) Collecting over 25,000 books and materials on the roots of A.A. (2) Using them in the publication of his 26 titles, more than 120 articles, and over 30 audio talks. (3) Describing where he went for the history, where it is located, who was interviewed, and what it contains. (4) It lists titles Dick used in his writing; all of the background titles involved in A.A.'s use of the Bible, Quiet Time, Oxford Group life-changing program, Anne Smith's Journal, Rev. Sam Shoemaker's teachings, religious literature AAs read, the United Christian Endeavor Movement, Carl Jung, William James, William D. Silkworth, Richard Peabody, Emmet Fox and many other New Thought influences. (5) It lists all the books in A.A. founder Dr. Bob's library and collections--a list found nowhere else. (6) It contains manuscripts from archives and libraries and personal collections all over the U.S. and England. (7) There is a huge collection of temperance books and literature described. (8) Topical books by A.A., about A.A., about alcoholism, about "spirituality," about the Bible, religion, and clergy. (9) Included are records of Dick's notes and interviews. (10 Almost this entire collection of materials has been donated to and can now be found and studied at Griffith Library, which is part of The Wilson House (birthplace of Bill W.) in East Dorset, Vermont. Taken together, this reference volume and the actual materials in the Griffith Library, constitute the largest and most complete record of early A.A. historical materials in the world today, other than the Library of Congress items.

More than half a century has gone by since A.A.'s historic 1955 convention in St. Louis, when the founding members passed on to the entire Fellowship the responsibility for the three Legacies of Recovery, Unity, and Service. This book takes A.A. members and interested friends on a quick tour of the Convention, traces the history and development of the Three Legacies, and looks at A.A. through the eyes of some early non-alcoholics who influenced the Fellowship's history. The first part is co-founder Bill W.'s reminiscent sketch of the Convention, in which he takes an appreciative look at many of the participants and reflects on events that shaped A.A. The second part consists of Bill's three Convention talks, edited and enlarged, on the Legacies of Recovery, Unity, and Service. Here is Bill's story -- how he drank, got sober, met Dr. Bob and other founding members, and how they struggled together to keep A.A. going, with little guidance beyond the lessons of experience. Then Bill moves on to describe how the Twelve Traditions developed as A.A.'s protective shield against the human faults that lead alcoholics into trouble, drunk or sober. And he finishes by laying out the development of A.A. services, culminating in the formation of the General Service Conference to serve as guadian of A.A.'s Traditions and world services. In the third part, readers will meet five early friends of A.A.: Dr. Harry Tiebout, the first psychiatrist to openly espouse A.A.: Dr. W.W. Bauer of the American Medical Association; Jesuit Father Edward Dowling and Episcopal priest Dr. Samuel Shoemaker, both of whom helped shape A.A.'s spiritual principles; and Benard B. Smith, attorney and longtime chair of the General Service Board. These nonalcoholics tell of their association with A.A., the part they played in its development, and their view of what the future holds.

Pioneer Stories in Alcoholics Anonymous: God's Role in Recovery Confirmed! by Dick B. and Ken B. presents many quotations from the 29 personal stories included in the first edition of Alcoholics Anonymous. Those stories by many of A.A.'s pioneers testify to roles played by God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible in early A.A.'s astonishing successes with "medically-incurable" alcoholics.

A.A. Co-founder Dr. Bob stated he had had "excellent training" in the Bible as a youngster in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. This title is a guide to that training and to the multi-volume resource compendium that describes the major influences on his training. They include the Town of St. Johnsbury, the Congregational Churches, his own church--the North Congregational Church, Sunday School, Christian Endeavor Society, the enormous impact of the Fairbanks family on the community and church and educational system, Dr. Bob's own deep family involvement in the church and town activities, the St. Johnsbury Academy, the town library (Athenaeum) and Fairbanks Museum, the YMCA, and the Great Awakening of 1875 that brought revivals, Gospel meetings, conversions, prayer, and Bible study to the fore.