Handbook

By: Anonymous

Date: 1939

Source: Alcoholics Anonymous. New York: Works Publishing Company, 1939. Reprinted Malo, Wash.: Anonymous Press, n.d., 70–72.

About the Author: Although the book Alcoholics Anonymous is traditionally attributed to no single author, the organization acknowledges that it was written by one of the founding members of AA, William Griffith Wilson (1895–1971). Details of Wilson's early life are extremely sketchy. He attended Norwich University in Vermont and served in the U.S. Army in World War I. He worked as a stockbroker. Most important, he was an alcoholic, and he discovered a way to transform his life and help others as well.

Introduction

The idea behind Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was conceived when Bill W. and Dr. Bob S. met in Akron, Ohio, in 1934. Bill W. recognized what was to become one of the fundamental...