The Books Early AAs Read for Spiritual Growth, 7th Edition [Paperback]

Dick B. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 1998

There have been a number of limited publications of books believed to be those that early AAs read. However, the first question is whether a listing of books will be helpful today to those who want to recover and be cured of alcoholism. The fact is that early A.A. had a documented 75% to 93% success rate among seemingly hopeless medically incurable real alcoholics who went to any lengths to establish a relationship and fellowship with their Creator. One of their major spiritual tools consisted of the large number of specific Christian books and articles they read in their effort to learn about God, about His son Jesus Christ, about the Bible, and about how to pray and lead a life based on cardinal Christian teachings. Several different people were advising them as to books to be studied. First, of course, was Dr. Bob Smith. And this title covers the books he read, studied, recommended, and circulated. Second, his wife Anne Ripley Smith kept a journal of the books read and those she recommended. These also are covered. Then there were the lay leaders of the early Christian fellowship--Henrietta Seiberling and T. Henry Williams and his wife Clarace. The books they read, discussed, and recommended are listed. So too those studied by Clarence Snyder, who had such great success helping alcoholics in Cleveland and then for many years thereafter. Also, there were the daily devotionals in common use--the Upper Room, The Runner's Bible, Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest, the E. Stanley Jones devotionals--Abundant Living and Victorious Living. Glenn Clark produced devotionals that were used, as did Emmet Fox, Harry Emerson Fosdick, and many others. This title covers them all. It offers many choices to those who want to acquire and study the religious literature that was so much a part of the early pioneer prayer, Bible study, quiet time, and reading life. You will find the book, now in its 7th edition, a real guide to what you can read today for recovery, following the same path the highly successful early pioneers followed in Akron.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The passage of time and the volume of sales have justified this 7th edition. More and more books have come to the author's attention as his research has continued. More and more books have become available through book searches. And more and more 12 Step Fellowship members and others have begun collecting, using, studying, and growing spiritually from reading the wonderful books A.A. pioneers read. The sources are documented. And former U.S. Congressman John F. Seiberling, who attended the early meetings as the son of A.A.'s woman leader (non-alcoholic), and who helped provide some of the books has written a foreword to this edition. It is an invaluable reference resource and offers a specific set of reading materials for those wanting to grow spiritually by reading the Bible, Christian classics, life of Jesus Christ, prayer, healing, love, life-changing, fellowship, witnessing, and forgiveness literature which helped A.A. pioneers to get well and stay well.

From the Author

The more I find and study the early literature from St. Augustine to The Upper Room, I see what I missed when I first came to A.A. The program, in the early days, was not about meetings or drunk-a-logs or psychobabble. It was about God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, the gift of Holy Spirit, prayer, healing, forgiveness, love, guidance, and all the rest. You can only see the depth and value if you read the books that early AAs read. They recovered!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 126 pages
• Publisher: Paradise Research Publications, Inc.; 7th edition (December 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885803265
• ISBN-13: 978-1885803269
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #147,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm an active, recovered member of Alcoholics Anonymous. I use the pen name Dick B. to conform to A.A. Traditions. I am also a writer, an historian, a Christian, a Bible student, a certified CDAAC, a retired attorney, and A.A. with over 25 years of continuous sobriety. As of October, 2011, I had, for more than 21 years, been researching the roots of early A.A. in the Bible, United Christian Endeavor, the Salvation Army, the Rescue Missions, the Young Men's Christian Association, the evangelists of the 1800's, the life-changing program of the Oxford Group, the teachings of Rev. Samuel M. Shoemaker, Quiet Time, the teachings of Anne Ripley Smith (Dr. Bob's wife), and the roles of William James, Carl Jung, Richard Peabody, New Thought writers, William D. Silkworth, Christian literature and devotionals of the day. And published 42 titles and over 675 articles on all aspects of A.A.'s spiritual history, biblical roots, and astonishing successes in the 1930's and very early 1940's. And why? Because many in the 12 Step Fellowships tire of hearing about a 'higher power' that can be a tree, a radiator, a lightbulb, the group, or Gertrude. And they tire of seeing Biblical expressions in A.A.'s basic text and early literature and yet hearing today's literature stating that A.A. is 'spiritual, but not religious' when outsiders and the courts readily see its religious character and many therefore believe they should be able to learn A.A. Christian roots. And they tire of the fatalism that abounds in recovery writings and talk today. So I decided to find out where A.A. came from, and then pass on to the 100 plus men I have sponsored, the truth about A.A.'s roots. Currently and still today, one history after another appears in print and purports to talk about A.A.'s beginnings. Yet there is little or no mention of the Bible, of God, of Jesus Christ, of Divine healing, of redemptive forgiveness, or of deliverance from the power of darkness. Nonetheless, these unmentioned or little mentioned Christian elements were relied upon by early AAs for their astonishing recoveries. The fact is that they declared they were cured by the power of God and had a documented 75 to 93% success rate among seemingly hopeless, medically incurable, alcoholics who gave the program their best shot. So each of my 42 published titles and innumerable articles cover some aspect, and often more than one, of A.A.'s seven major Biblical and basic roots: (1) The Bible. (2) Quiet Time and the daily devotionals. (3) The teachings of Rev. Sam Shoemaker, Jr. (4) The life-changing program of the Oxford Group. (5) The details in the spiritual journal kept by Anne Ripley Smith (co-founder DR. Bob's wife) and shared with the pioneers and their families, but unmentioned today. (6) The extensive Christian literature ranging from St. Augustine to Brother Lawrence to Henry Drummond to John Mott to Harry Emerson Fosdick to Glenn Clark to Oswald Chambers, and a host of others. (7) One of the most recent finds has been the roots of Akron A.A. in the United Christian Endeavor Society. If one wants to understand the role, power, and love of God our Creator in A.A. today, that person will not accomplish much in the meetings, nor even in the "something" or "somebody" definitions that are pumped out today as a "power" to seek. Nonetheless, they can find accurate facts in my thoroughly researched and documented work of the past 21 years. For A.A. history abounds with truths from the Bible: how to come to God through His son Jesus Christ, how to be healed, how to comport yourself in accordance with Christian principles, how to pray, and how to receive guidance as one of God's kids. It's all there; and I welcome your comments and the many I receive each day. There's still plenty to learn and pass on. God Bless, Dick B. PS: Many of our latest findings are in The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 3rd ed., 2010 www.dickb.com/Christian-Recov-Guide.shtml. Many are frequently posted on my blog www.mauihistorian.blogspot.com, as well as my facebook and twitter entries

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There is no forbidden reading when it comes to recovery people and AAs, April 16, 2008

By 

Daxton Lyon (Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Books Early AAs Read for Spiritual Growth, 7th Edition (Paperback)

I'm a Marine vet. In the Marines, I studied literature on weapons, combat, hand-to-hand fighting, and all the rest. But nobody from the U.S. Government or from the top rank to the bottom ever told me I couldn't read the Bible,Henry Drummond's The Greatest Thing in the Word, the Upper Room, As a Man Thinketh, or the Saturday Evening Post. That's from one of the most stringent training units in existence. The Marines don't censor the mind, or the literature, or freedom of expression. But that's what my friends in recovery get thrown at them all the time. They mention the Bible or Jesus Christ, and right away some character sounds off that this violates the Traditions, that such material is not "conference approved," or that A.A. is spiritual but not religious and hence doesn't consider these outside issues. But that's not A.A. as I read it in Dick B.'s books. I have to distinguish what individuals did and can do from what someone tells them they can't do. And the best answer is history--the history of A.A. itself. This simple little book shows just how broad the reading, religious study, use of the Bible, and employment of devotionals was in A.A. It's not a secret. It's just that people don't know it and get intimidated by nonsensical remarks. I'm very grateful for this excellent review of all the books AAs studied - about God, about the Bible,about Jesus Christ, about prayer, about healing, about Quiet Time, about religion and the mind, and even about William James, Carl Jung, Dr. Silkworth and all the rest. People in recovery are not in a cage, nor should they let anyone put them there. Again the answer is history, and this is the book that shows precisely that there never was a cage. I recommend it to those who want to be free and are scared to death to say so. Take heart you kindred souls: Read, Recover, Enjoy. Remember God

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important guide to 12 Step literature on prayer, healing, Bible, guidance, November 17, 2006

By 

John Albert Hill Jr. "Bible student in recovery" (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Books Early AAs Read for Spiritual Growth, 7th Edition (Paperback)

The Big Book suggests that there are many helpful books that can be read in connection with the Eleventh Step. And early AAs read all kinds of literature, which is covered in this guide. Their books were those on Quiet Time, prayer, healing, love, forgiveness, daily devotionals, the Oxford Group, and New Thought writers like Fox, Drummond,Clark, etc. Dick plumbed the sources from Dr. Bob's Library, Anne Smith's Journal, That Amazing Grace (what Clarence Snyder had in his library, Henrietta B. Seiberling (what her children told him about her library), the books T. Henry Williams read, all the Sam Shoemaker articles and books, and the immense number of Oxford Group books Dick collected. Here is a concise description of the books you will find helpful to your spiritual growth, just as I have. And see Dr. Bob and His Library, Anne Smith's Journal, That Amazing Grace, DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers, AA The Way It Began by Pittman, New Light on Alcoholism, and The Oxford Group and Alcoholics Anonymous