'The Man on the Bed' Painting Originally Called 'Came to Believe'

The Big Book Is Published

By Michell K.

The official publication date of the Big Book according to the United States Copyright Office was April 10, 1939. There were 4,730 books printed with red cloth binding, wide columns, thick paper, a red, yellow, black and white dust jacket. There was the program of recovery outlined and the personal testimonies of those who had recovered.

Several dozen books which had been pre-paid were shipped out. AA members got their copies and some were given away. The boxes of books still being held at the Cornwall Press probably were piled high to the ceiling.

Letters were sent out, a small ad was placed and Bill, Ruth and Hank waited for the orders to pile in.

The Liberty Magazine Article

Every day the went to the Post Office box expecting to be flooded with requests for the book. Other than a slight trickle, the expected orders didn't materialize. Once again, they were dejected. They needed a boost.

In September 1939, Liberty Magazine ran an article entitled "Alcoholics and God" by Morris Markey. It briefly told about Alcoholics Anonymous. This was the first national publicity AA received.

Missing Pieces of History

There was another article reportedly printed in a religious magazine called FAITH. The article was written by Dr. Bob who had supposedly used his full name as the author of that article.

This writer has attempted to track down a copy of the article for several years. The AA Archives in New York City claims they do not have a copy and even the Library of Congress no longer have copies of that magazine. It appears that the Library of Congress "dumped" their microfiche files for the only two magazines called FAITH from that era in the 1970's.

Another heartbreaking "dumping" occurred several years ago. A long-term AA member living locally in this writer's vicinity stated that he once had the original printing plates for the Big Book from the Cornwall Press.

The Cornwall Press once was located near this writer's home. This long-term member stated that during a relapse, out of anger, he threw out the plates and they were lost forever.

The Rockefeller Dinner

Bill W. once again went to Willard Richardson for financial help. Willard helped put together the original Rockefeller meeting. Bill explained that the meetings were growing but there was no income coming in from book sales. He had over 4,000 copies in storage which wouldn't be released until paid for.

Willard convinced John D. Rockefeller, Jr. to help out. Rockefeller arranged for a dinner for all his friends to hear about this wonderful new movement.

One Hundred and Eighty Seven engraved invitations were sent out to some of the richest and most powerful men in the United States.

NEXT CHAPTER: Influx of Members

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This article is written by nationally recognized historian and oft-quoted Alcoholics Anonymous archivist Mitchell K., author of the book, "How It Worked" - the story of Clarence H Snyder and the early days of Alcoholics Anonymous.