Whether group, central office or intergroup, area or district,
a literature chairperson:
- Informs groups, district or area assembly members, through displays and other
suitable methods, of all available Conference-approved literature, audiovisual
material and other special items.
- Provides service-oriented literature for groups and area and district functions
as funded.
- Considers suggestions regarding proposed additions to and changes in
Conference-approved literature and audiovisual materials.
- Encourages A.A. members to read and purchase A.A. Conference-approved literature.
Excerpted from "A.A. Guidelines
/Literature Committees"
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It was recommended that:
1968: Conference-approved literature and G.S.O. Guidelines be displayed and distributed
at assembly meetings
1969: One group member be chosen to be solely responsible for the distribution of
Conference-approved literature and its display.
1971: The delegates assume responsibility for informing A.A.s of all available
Conference-approved literature, and that the updated spring and fall literature order blanks which are
mailed with Box 4-5-9 be reviewed at district and assembly meetings.
1972: It be suggested that when a local A.A. facility (central office, intergroup, group,
etc.) sells non-Conference-approved literature, it be clearly designated as such.
1977: It was suggested that A.A. groups be discouraged from selling literature not
distributed by the General Service Office and the Grapevine.
1986; In an effort to strengthen our network of literature representatives to ensure that
A.A. literature is available at meetings, as well as catalog order forms for books and cassettes that
individuals are likely to want, it is suggested that groups appoint literature coordinators.
The spirit of the 1977 Conference action regarding group literature displays be reaffirmed, and
recommended the suggestion that A.A. groups be encouraged to display or sell only literature published
and distributed by the General Service Office, the A.A. Grapevine and other A.A. entities.
Excerpted from "A.A. Guidelines
/Literature Committees"
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Reflects Today's Diverse Membership: In the 25 years since the third edition of
Alcoholics Anonymous was published, the Fellowship has grown from about 440,000 members in the U.S.
and Canada to more than two million throughout the world, and sweeping changes have taken place in its
membership. Because the personal experiences in our basic text are designed to help as many alcoholics as
possible identify with those who have recovered, the 2001 General Service Conference approved a fourth edition
of the Big Book, with a revised and updated section of personal stories (as always, the first 164 pages remain
unchanged).
The new edition, which comes off press in November 2001, contains the experience of 42 sober alcoholics - 24 new and 16
"keepers" from the third edition - and represents a wide spectrum of ages, beliefs, racial and ethnic
groups, backgrounds, and occupations. The culmination of four years of development, more than 25 committee
meetings, and untold individual hours of hard work and painful decision-making, the fourth edition of
Alcoholics Anonymous brings a clear and accurate reflection of the Fellowship as it enters the
twenty-first century.
Making Difficult Choices: When the first edition of the Big book was written, the
challenge was to find enough solidly sober members - who could write - to round out a representative section
of personal stories.
When the story section of the fourth edition was being developed, the challenge was to single out
approximately 24 personal stories from and impressive group of manuscripts submitted by more than 1,200 solidly
sober, and very enthusiastic, A.A. members.
How is it possible to select the "best" when dealing with A.A. sharing? The subcommittee of the
trustees' Literature Committee charged with the responsibility of developing the fourth edition would answer
that question quite simply: It is not. There is no such thing as "best." Yet choices had to be made
- not only in selecting new material, but also in deciding which stories to retain from the third edition and
which to leave out. . . .
. . . Every story was exhaustively reviewed: each was read by individual members of the subcommittee, then
by members working in pairs, and finally by the full committee. Before the 2000 Conference, they enlisted the
help of the Conference Literature Committee and other members of the trustee's Literature Committee to help pare
down a short list of 38 new stories to the needed 245. And before the manuscript went to the Conference, the
stories were turned over to G.S.O.'s publications department for several rounds of editing. . .
Your New Big Book: The General Service Board sent a complimentary copy of the fourth
edition Big Book to each group, as a deeply-felt "thank you" for the thoughtful contributions that
resulted in this new edition. These contributions came from individuals who donated their time and talent by
sending their personal A.A. stories, as well as to groups throughout the U.S. and Canada whose basket money
helps support the General Service Conference which deliberated over the fourth edition for the past four years.
Between mid-November and early December, the fourth edition was sent to each GSR or other group contact
listed in our records as of October 19th.
We hope that this new edition will help continue carrying our message of recovery to the still-suffering
alcoholic in the twenty-first century.
Excerpted from "Box 4-5-9/October-November
2001"
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