History of the Big Book in Photos
EUA and Portugal
History of the Big Book
The need to spread A.A.'s message led the early members to consider writing a book that would encompass everything they had learned and implemented up to that point, which had profoundly changed their lives. The book would also include personal stories detailing how they had managed to stop drinking and stay sober.
Work on the book began in May 1938 and it was published in the United States in April 1939 under the title “Alcoholics Anonymous,” which later became the name of the community — Alcoholics Anonymous.
The book is affectionately known internationally as the Big Book because of its size. To raise enough money for its publication, A.A. members decided to print it on thicker paper and with wider margins, resulting in a rather bulky book.
To date, there have been four editions of the American “Alcoholics Anonymous” Book:
● The first edition in 1939;
● The second edition in 1955;
● The third edition in 1979;
● The fourth edition in 2001.
The book is essentially divided into two major parts: the first part outlines the fundamentals of the Recovery Program and includes the life stories of the two founders, Bill W. and Dr. Bob. The second part consists of varied life stories from A.A. members, demonstrating how the program works, all of which are success stories.
The primary difference between the first three editions is the change in the life stories. The first part of the book, which includes the Recovery Program and the founders' stories, was never altered.
In each edition, some stories were removed, and new ones were added to better reflect contemporary society.
Bill dizia: Bill W. remarked, “The stories section is very important; it's the main way of identifying with readers outside of AA. It’s equivalent to sharing at a meeting and showcases our results.”
In the United States, A.A. undertook a commendable initiative by compiling the stories from the first three editions into a book titled “Experience, Strength and Hope,” published in 2003, allowing these stories to continue being accessible to those interested.
The Portuguese "Blue Book"
The so-called Portuguese 'Blue Book' was named for its blue cover in its first edition.
In the 1980s, there was no literature in European Portuguese in Portugal; existing literature was either imported from Brazil or offered as gifts. The Brazilian A.A. book had a blue cover and included only the first part of the American book and the founders' stories. This likely led to the Portuguese designation 'Blue Book' for the American book, although the term 'Big Book' was never widely used in Portugal. In Portugal, 'Blue Book' refers to the book of “Alcoholics Anonymous,” regardless of language.
In the early 1990s, there was an urgent need to translate A.A. literature into European Portuguese. In 1994, the first edition of the Portuguese Blue Book was published, translated from the third American edition, containing only the first part of the book and the two life stories of the founders.
In 2003, a second edition of the 'Blue Book' was printed, this time including life stories. The 2004 edition contained 22 life stories—11 from Portuguese members and 11 translated from the third and fourth American editions. Despite its yellow and blue cover, similar to the American book, it continued to be referred to as the 'Blue Book' by A.A. members.
Finally, in 2024, the third edition of the 'Blue Book' was released, reflecting the 1990 Orthographic Agreement as decided by the General Service Conference.
There is also a paperback edition of the Blue Book, similar to the American paperback edition, without life stories, created as a commemorative edition for the 6th A.A. National Convention in 2012 and distributed to attendees of that Convention.
Áudio Português
História do Livro Azul
English Audio
Big Book History