Veritas1

Sorry, mispelled original in thread title...fingers too fast!

"The book that started it all, the AA original manuscript"

I would like to ask before buying this book if anyone has it and believes it would be helpful to purchase.

Thank you...

JackNWA

I got a copy of it for Christmas. It's very interesting to look at and read. But I wouldn't call it anymore "helpful" than the current version of the BB. I just enjoy seeing some of the history and the editing that went on is interesting. Hope that makes sense.

Veritas1

Thank you. What I mean about being helpful is like the Big Book, does it have additional information in it that will be helpful to me as a recovering alcoholic. I wonder if there are things in it that were left out of the Big Book that might be important to read.

I feel like sometimes that I need "more"! I wish the Big Book was bigger! LOL.

Ok, keep it simple.

DayTrader

Anonymous Press puts out a study version of the BB.... first 164 + orig manuscript + dictionary + lined pages (every other page) for notes + a page reference for "important" words + some other sections of the BB (ie. spiritual experience, the original stories, and some other sections I forget now). I found that BB really helpful (and absolutely necessary to have when I was going through the "BB Awakening" workbook). There's a soft and hard cover available over on Amazon. (+ a mini-version that I love to take to meetings).

The orig manuscript is available online too....to read/download. The "book" that they're selling now is the orig manuscript + all the hand written edits and changes to get it to what came out in the first edition. (<-- I believe......correct me if I'm wrong).

Boleo

Depends on what you mean by "additional". It was stronger in some ways but less palatable in others. It used the words "directions" more than "suggestions". I find the most changes appear in "How It Works".

If you want a glimpse of it try:

The Original Manuscript of Alcoholics Anonymous

barb dwyer

I wanted it because it was like ...
the 'collector' thing.

The book that got me sober
was the one they gave me
in my first meeting.

It fell apart and the pages began fallint out
last year.
So I wrapped it in a nice green velvet
and it sits on the shelf.
Next to the other one.
The new book sits where the old one did
right beside the bed.

I think if you're drawn to get the other version
maybe you should.
You can compare and study the differences
for me -
it was more a 'history' class
than a BB study
just looking at the coloquial variances
and that sort of thing.

I'm a big believer
in people following their inner voices.

LexieCat

I think it is awesomely cool. After I got my copy I bought one for my ex-H for Christmas (he's been sober in AA for 31 years) and one of my sponsor's other sponsees and I bought one for our sponsor. We each wrote a warm note of gratitude inside, and she was thrilled with it.

It is so interesting, but I wouldn't say it teaches you anything more about getting sober and staying that way than the BB itself does. After all, the finished product was from the collective experience of the first 100 members--the original manuscript was mostly by Bill and the special edition gives you a peek into the process that gave us the finished work. Still, I'm a history geek and I found it fascinating and fun to browse.

(My favorite margin note reads, "Dangerous for the NUTS!")

Veritas1

Thank you everyone. I think I meant by additional info...something like hidden gems, that may have been edited out, but helpful in sobriety.

stephnc

Thanks, Boleo, for posting that link. I just read How it Works and We Agnostics and these earlier versions were fascinating. I probably won't buy the book but I'll definitely read more online.

Happy Sunday, everyone.

freya

I, too, got one for Christmas. I like it because the editorial process, in general, is interesting to me, and so, of course, the editorial process that went into the first edition of a book that is very important to me personally is super-interesting to me. (Actually, the editorial process of the later editions is interesting, too, but that conversation is more problematic!) I find it interesting to identify patterns in those processes and kinda think about what they reveal about the underlying agenda/intent of the writers.

Anyway, I guess it's probably not like vital to my recovery or anything like that, but I just like books and am interested in stuff like this.....Last year, I got Carl Jung's The Red Book......WOW!

freya

LexieCat

Aw, crap, Freya. The Red Book.

ANOTHER dang book I gotta get my mitts on. And the price of this one makes the other one look cheap.

Though there are a few stores that have it cheaper than Amazon...

Boleo

Thanks Freya;

I thought I had read everything by Carl Jung, but this looks like it was just released in 2009. I would not have heard of it if not for your post.