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I have see quite a few books on or about A.A. and have even written
the subject myself. This is the best" Selden Bacon Alcohol Studies Rutgers University

"It is both an absorbing story and a first rate intellectual history. It is the first thoughtful historical account of Alcoholics Anonymous, outstanding in its readability and for its remarkable probing of the Psychological and theological underpinnings of the organization. "
Frank Fridel Ph D Harvard Chair of History

Thorough, comprehensive, and candid, this is the story of Alcoholics Anonymous--historically the most effective approach for saving the lives of chemically dependent people. Ernest Kurtz relates how early members came together with high hopes, only to discover their own limitations and the importance of humility. Documenting A.A.'s philosphical and social development within the larger context of American Culture, Kurtz's history of A.A. follows the remarkable story of the evolution of a small group of Depression Era Alcoholics into a worldwide movement

A.A.The Story by Ernest Kurtz, Published by Harper & Row. A revised edition of "Not-God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous", a Bibliography, Index: Copyright 1979, 1988. Book measures 5 3/4 inches by 8 1/2 inches, 296 pages with a Original retail price of $16.95. Alcoholics Anonymous was born over fifty years ago when Bill Wilson, sober just a short time, met Dr. Bob Smith and helped him to sobriety. Today A.A. is the largest and most effective means available to alcoholics for recovery. A.A.: The Story is engrossing account of A.A.'s astonishing development and success and a fascinating record of the program that has been the model for hundreds of Twevle Step groups throughout the country. An updated and and revised edition of Not God, A.A.: The Story includes a new chapter that continues A.A.'s history beyond the death of Bill Wilson in 1971 and carries it forward to 1987. Through his unhindered research in the A.A. archives, author Ernest Kurtz has made this the most complete, authoritative account available. Kurtz traces the roots of the A.A. philosophy to such a seemingly diverse group as Carl Jung, William James, John D. Rockfeller,Jr., and Akron Socialite Henrietta Seiberling, as well as the Oxford Group of Frank Buchman, a number of Irish-American Catholic priests, and fundamentalist religion. The story relates the painful writing of A.A.'s "Big Book," Alcoholics Anonymous, The problems caused over the years by Wilson's unofficial status as "head" of A.A., and the fight involving the A.A. borad of trustees. All is told in the context of two important points: first, that Wilson and his contemporaries were keenly aware of their own limitations as recovering alcoholics; second, and more important, that they discovered a health and a wholeness, a maturity, as sober individuals within the fellowship of A.A. The author recounts this history around the term Not-God, an expression that lies at the heart of the A.A. fellowship and program. "The fundamental and first message of Alcoholics Anonymous to its members," Kurtz writes,"is that they are not infinite, not absolute, not God. Every alcoholic's problem had first been, according to this insight, claiming God-like powers, especially that of control....The fulfilling of the implications of being not-God, the living out of the connectedness with others that comes about from the alcoholics very limitation, is the story of Alcoholics Anonymous. It is this story, this history, that this book narrates."

Harper & Row New York 1988 " An engrossing account of A.A.'s astonishing development and success and a fascinating record of the program that has been the model for hundreds of Twelve Step groups throughout the country. An updated and revised edition of Not-God [originally published in 1979], this book includes a new chapter that continues A.A.'s history beyond the death of Bill Wilson in 1971 and carries it forward to 1987. Through his unhindered research in the A.A. archives, the author has made this the most complete, authoritative account available. [The author] traces the roots of the A.A. philosophy to such a seemingly diverse group as Carl Jung, William James, John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Akron socialite Henrietta Seiberling, as well as the Oxford Group of Frank Buchman, a number of Irish-American Catholic priests,and fundamentalist religion. The story relates the painful writing of A.A. 's 'Big Book,' the problems caused over the years by Wilson's unofficial status as 'head' of A.A., and the fight involving the A.A. board of trustees. All is told in the context of two important points -- first, that Wilson and his contemporaries were keenly aware of their own limitations as recovering alcoholics; second, and more important, that they discovered a health and a wholeness, a maturity, as sober individuals within the fellowship of A.A."
ISBN:0-06-255457-3