Page 6 - F-166 - A Brief History of the Big Book - Una breve historia del Libro Grande - L'histoire du Gros Livre en bref
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Yorkers had left the Oxford Groups in 1937 we often
described ourselves as a ‘nameless bunch of alcoholics.’
From this phrase it was only a step to the idea of ‘Alco-
holics Anonymous.’”
More than 100 titles were considered, but in the
end, it came down to “Alcoholics Anonymous” or “The
Way Out,” and when the two groups voted, “The Way
Out” received a slight majority. At this point, one of the
A.A.s visited the Library of Congress to research the
number of books titled “The Way Out” versus those
called “Alcoholics Anonymous.” There were 12 with
the former title, none with the latter, and since nobody
wanted to make the book the thirteenth “Way Out,”
the problem was solved. “That is how we got the title
for our book, and that is how our society got its name.”
So, this somewhat shaky, often fearful group of men
and women somehow brought to publication, on April
10, 1939, the book Alcoholics Anonymous.
This book became a blueprint for recovery from al-
coholism that has been followed successfully for nearly
80 years—and something of a publishing phenomenon.
The Big Book has been translated into 68 languages
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