about their memories of early A.A. history. Its special significance derives from the fact that oldtimers in Akron and Cleveland cherished on some points differing memories from the recollections common among the New Yorkers about the earliest history of A.A. Cited: Wilson, “Review,” this item did not substantially reconcile these differences, but it does offer insight into Wilson’s mind at a crucial point and aids in interpreting much of his correspondence over the next three years, correspondence undertaken in an attempt to rectify the discrepancies before the publication of AACA .
Based on all the above, Wilson, “Memorandum to Our Writing Team, subject: Historical Time Table,” unpublished and undated but clearly from late 1954; cited: “Memo.”
III SOURCES LATER THAN AACA:
[Wilson], “Alcoholics Anonymous: Beginnings and Growth,” talk given to the New York City Medical Society, 28 April 1958, published in its entirety in “Alcoholism the Illness: (since 1976: “Bill on Alcoholism”); cited: “Beginnings,” pagination from the pamphlet.
[Wilson], “Clergy Conference,” talk to the Annual Convention of the National Clergy Conference on Alcoholism, New York, 21 April 1960; cited: NCCA , pagination from the transcript. An edited version appears in the NCCA Blue Book 12: 179-205 (1960).
Henrietta Seiberling, “Origins of Alcoholics Anonymous,” privately mimeographed and distributed by her son, John F. Seiberling, with a cover-letter detailing her background, dated May 1972, and based on a May 1971 telephone conversation; cited: HS, “Origins.”
Nell Wing, “Pre-A.A. History,” unpublished brief outline, cited: NW, “Pre-History.”
Nell Wing, “Outline of A.A. History,” unpublished, first draft drawn up by Wing for Thomsen in 1974; I have used an updated and corrected version of that draft; cited: NW, “Outline.”
IV OTHER PUBLISHED SOURCES:
The A.A. Grapevine , the “monthly journal of Alcoholics Anonymous,” cited: AAGV . Volume One, Number One, was June 1944, and publication has been continuous. “A.A.” was inserted into the title in early 1946, after discovery that an in-house F.B.I, organ had preempted “The Grapevine,” as AAGV was at first titled.
“Final Reports[s] of the General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous;” the first G.S.C. was held in 1951. Although “published,” these are not available for distribution outside of A.A.
[Wilson], Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (New York: A.A. Publishing, Inc., 1953); cited: 12&12 . Like AACA , this book was also published for general distribution by Harper & Row, same date and place.
[Wilson], As Bill Sees It (New York: A.A. World Services, Inc., 1967), cited: ABSI . This was first published as The A.A. Way of Life – A Reader by Bill . It contains excerpts from both his published and his unpublished writings that were, at the time of publication, deemed worthy of wider diffusion among Alcoholics Anonymous. Its significance to this study lies mainly in that final fact.
V CLOSED SOURCES AND THEIR STATUS TO SCHOLARS:
The “Minutes” of the Alcoholic Foundation and of the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous are closed to specific citation. When my questions about their contents were answered with visu extracts, I have cited this circumstance.
The Wilson correspondence is closed under three degrees of restriction. The present research was the first scholarly access to the first two of these degrees. It is my understanding that all letters cited herein are open to serious scholars. Since almost all of the Wilson correspondence was sent from New York, the place is not cited unless other than New York. Further, out of respect for A.A. practice and the conditions of my access to the archives, names of all but prominent people — in both cases whether members of A.A. or not — are cited by surname initial only.
Alcoholic Foundation and Alcoholics Anonymous correspondence: same as
Based on all the above, Wilson, “Memorandum to Our Writing Team, subject: Historical Time Table,” unpublished and undated but clearly from late 1954; cited: “Memo.”
III SOURCES LATER THAN AACA:
[Wilson], “Alcoholics Anonymous: Beginnings and Growth,” talk given to the New York City Medical Society, 28 April 1958, published in its entirety in “Alcoholism the Illness: (since 1976: “Bill on Alcoholism”); cited: “Beginnings,” pagination from the pamphlet.
[Wilson], “Clergy Conference,” talk to the Annual Convention of the National Clergy Conference on Alcoholism, New York, 21 April 1960; cited: NCCA , pagination from the transcript. An edited version appears in the NCCA Blue Book 12: 179-205 (1960).
Henrietta Seiberling, “Origins of Alcoholics Anonymous,” privately mimeographed and distributed by her son, John F. Seiberling, with a cover-letter detailing her background, dated May 1972, and based on a May 1971 telephone conversation; cited: HS, “Origins.”
Nell Wing, “Pre-A.A. History,” unpublished brief outline, cited: NW, “Pre-History.”
Nell Wing, “Outline of A.A. History,” unpublished, first draft drawn up by Wing for Thomsen in 1974; I have used an updated and corrected version of that draft; cited: NW, “Outline.”
IV OTHER PUBLISHED SOURCES:
The A.A. Grapevine , the “monthly journal of Alcoholics Anonymous,” cited: AAGV . Volume One, Number One, was June 1944, and publication has been continuous. “A.A.” was inserted into the title in early 1946, after discovery that an in-house F.B.I, organ had preempted “The Grapevine,” as AAGV was at first titled.
“Final Reports[s] of the General Service Conference of Alcoholics Anonymous;” the first G.S.C. was held in 1951. Although “published,” these are not available for distribution outside of A.A.
[Wilson], Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (New York: A.A. Publishing, Inc., 1953); cited: 12&12 . Like AACA , this book was also published for general distribution by Harper & Row, same date and place.
[Wilson], As Bill Sees It (New York: A.A. World Services, Inc., 1967), cited: ABSI . This was first published as The A.A. Way of Life – A Reader by Bill . It contains excerpts from both his published and his unpublished writings that were, at the time of publication, deemed worthy of wider diffusion among Alcoholics Anonymous. Its significance to this study lies mainly in that final fact.
V CLOSED SOURCES AND THEIR STATUS TO SCHOLARS:
The “Minutes” of the Alcoholic Foundation and of the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous are closed to specific citation. When my questions about their contents were answered with visu extracts, I have cited this circumstance.
The Wilson correspondence is closed under three degrees of restriction. The present research was the first scholarly access to the first two of these degrees. It is my understanding that all letters cited herein are open to serious scholars. Since almost all of the Wilson correspondence was sent from New York, the place is not cited unless other than New York. Further, out of respect for A.A. practice and the conditions of my access to the archives, names of all but prominent people — in both cases whether members of A.A. or not — are cited by surname initial only.
Alcoholic Foundation and Alcoholics Anonymous correspondence: same as
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