On Apr 10, 2020, at 6:03 AM, Bob S <rstonebraker212@...> wrote:

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Dear Big Book’ers, or not,

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On this day, April 10, 1939, our Big Book was published—4,730 copies of ‘em!? Even a brief study reveals that this almost didn’t happen again and again.? Too much to go into here, but we can thank Charles B. Towns, John D. Rockefeller, Bert T and many others for vital finances. Hank Parkhurst, Dr. Howard, Jim Burwell for editing the Manuscript, and let us not forget the printer, Edward Blackwell, for his patience. . . . and let’s not forget God!

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??? I believe most of us would give the Big Book an A+, however, back in that day, certain societies would have graded quite differently. A review that appeared in the October 1939 volume of the??called the book "a curious combination of organizing propaganda and religious exhortation…in no sense a scientific book."?Similarly, the??said The Big Book was "big in words…a rambling sort of camp meeting…Of the inner meaning of alcoholism there is hardly a word. It is all on the surface material."?This review went on to "degrade" the alcoholic: "Inasmuch as the alcoholic, speaking generally, lives a wish-fulfilling infantile regression to the omnipotent delusional state, perhaps he is best handled for the time being at least by regressive mass psychological methods, in which, as is realized, religious fervors belong, hence the religious trend of the book." The views about the book and about alcoholism espoused in these two journals was typical of how alcoholics and other addicts were viewed by many in the psychiatric field during the middle of the 20th century.?

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??But now, two million saved lives later, I feel sure they have changed their minds!? Ha.

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Bob S

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PS—I love “camp meetings.”

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Bob S

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During the late summer of 1934 Ebby Thacher was drunkenly shooting at pigeons perched on his roof ?in a very exclusive neighborhood in Manchester, VT.? ?For this he developed a court date and was facing a period of confinement. However, an Oxford Group friend, Cebra Graves, whose father was the County Magistrate, ?got him off the hook. In fear. In the interim, Ebby had prayed to God, as never before, for relief from his compulsive drinking.? He was miraculously struck sober for a period of two years and seven months. He eventually became a resident of Calvary Mission in lower Manhattan. On a bleak November day of 1934, he carried he carried the Oxford Group message to Bill Wilson. (Big Book pp. 8 & 9).? Of course, this was an important precursor our fellowship. Clarence Snyder said: “Bill Wilson made the touchdown, but Ebby handed him the ball.”

However, this is how Ebby came to lose his sobriety April of 1937:

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I feel as though Ebby Thacher has been short-shrimped in the annals of AA history reporting. Just think, what if Ebby had never shot at those pigeons. In gratitude, let us pray that he missed each and every one.?

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This information was Compiled by Bob S. from many sources. ?

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PS—The middle excerpt is from DR. BOB AND BILL W. SPEAK, by Michael Fitzpatrick Page 25

To study more about Ebby, read: EBBY, The man who Sponsored Bill W., by Mel B.? ??

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Bob S

-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Smith
Sent: Apr 7, 2020 5:26 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [AAHistoryLovers] Check out the chat room feature, please:) #chat

From: [email protected] On Behalf Of Thom R.
Sent: Tuesday, April 7, 2020 4:42 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Special] [AAHistoryLovers] Check out the chat room feature, please:) #chat

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From: [email protected] On Behalf Of Thom R.
Sent: Tuesday, April 7, 2020 4:42 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Special] [AAHistoryLovers] Check out the chat room feature, please:) #chat

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The chat room, the first that I have created called The Meeting Hall is where you can all go to introduce yourselves and chat with each other and do the fellowshipping.

Please do not use the actual message board for fellowshipping and for introductions at this time unless you have a history related post attached to it.

The reason for that is because we want to make sure the messages stay as close to on topic is possible for archives reasons and search ability later. We also will come together on future chat room topics (we can mame specialized chat rooms later and have some seriously in depth discussions)? and things like that, which will allow us to have more specialized conversations as well.

Please note that all chats are archived also, so don't worry,? we're not going to lose anything by posting there. It's just going to help us keep things sorted.

Thank you, and welcome to the new age AA History Lovers!

I will be moderating also and gently pointing people to the chat room when they want to give introductions and things like that. Please nobody take offense and realize that this is all for our posterity.

Also please know that we have most of if not all of the archives of the previous two versions of a history lovers. We are doing some repair on the files and conversion and formatting and are going to be making them available in the archives for searching as soon as possible. Yes, we're going to be presenting you searchable PDFs as b.d ecco knows what else of most of the old content as well!

Exciting isn't it!

Yours in Service,

Thom R.
Your AA History Lovers moderator

-----Original Message-----
From: "Thom R."
Sent: Apr 7, 2020 4:41 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [Special] [AAHistoryLovers] Check out the chat room feature, please:) #chat

The chat room, the first that I have created called The Meeting Hall is where you can all go to introduce yourselves and chat with each other and do the fellowshipping.

Please do not use the actual message board for fellowshipping and for introductions at this time unless you have a history related post attached to it.

The reason for that is because we want to make sure the messages stay as close to on topic is possible for archives reasons and search ability later. We also will come together on future chat room topics (we can mame specialized chat rooms later and have some seriously in depth discussions)? and things like that, which will allow us to have more specialized conversations as well.

Please note that all chats are archived also, so don't worry,? we're not going to lose anything by posting there. It's just going to help us keep things sorted.

Thank you, and welcome to the new age AA History Lovers!

I will be moderating also and gently pointing people to the chat room when they want to give introductions and things like that. Please nobody take offense and realize that this is all for our posterity.

Also please know that we have most of if not all of the archives of the previous two versions of a history lovers. We are doing some repair on the files and conversion and formatting and are going to be making them available in the archives for searching as soon as possible. Yes, we're going to be presenting you searchable PDFs as b.d ecco knows what else of most of the old content as well!

Exciting isn't it!

Yours in Service,

Thom R.
Your AA History Lovers moderator

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I was part of the old group itself, which was pretty much discombobulated when Yahoo changed their rules and deleted the history on both AAHL and AAHL2. I miss the exchange of views and information. Maybe we can reinvent the enthusiasm that was previously present?