Page 8 - F-166 - A Brief History of the Big Book - Una breve historia del Libro Grande - L'histoire du Gros Livre en bref

igin). This was probably done in the very early 1950s.

No reviews of the translations were conducted by
the offi ce (as became the established procedure for
oversight of translations by Alcoholics Anonymous

World Services, Inc.). The fi rst reference to the Span-
ish translation was in a memo regarding A.A. litera-
ture “outside of the United States,” dated January 17,

1952.
Bill W. wrote in A.A. Comes of Age (published in
1957) that “good translations of A.A. literature are

ever more urgently needed. But able helpers have al-
ways turned up to meet that need.” He cited the Frank

M. translation at that time.
Copies of that translation were sent to Mexico,
Puerto Rico and New York, though it was not print-

ed in substantial quantities until the early 1950s. The
translation was also used in El Salvador and Colombia.

Several editions of the book were eventually printed in
these countries. It was reported in April 1955 that the
Spanish translation of the Big Book, formerly available
from Puerto Rico, had been reprinted by A.A. Publish-

ing, Inc. and was on sale for $3.20 per copy. Then, in

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