Originally Posted by
RobbyRobot 
Yeah, the first 164 pages are known as the basic text ie the nuts n' bolts of AA recovery shared in detail and an absolute required read to grasp and embrace the AA experience, imo. The complete and total book is the heart and head of AA. All the rest included in the book -- stories, Spiritual Experiences, Doctors Nightmare, etc... compliments and enhances the BB, imo. The 12x12 is a separate book. All the other editions have the same message told in a bit of a different "voice", imo.
Thanks....that's helpful.
But it doesn't really answer the question I had, which really comes down to whether AA literature other than the Big Book "is" AA. I think that's a valid question, given the oft-repeated statement that "if it isn't in the Big Book, it isn't AA". I read this statement a lot, and I genuinely want to know what it means to people. AA has a lot of Conference Approved literature, far more than just the one book, after all.
Maybe it would be easier to keep the question to one book: the 12 & 12, which, like the BB, was written by Bill W., and forms the basis for many AA meetings ("step" meetings or "12 & 12" formats).
Is the 12 & 12 AA?