The Importance of Distributing Our History Recovery Titles Free

[dickb]

Yes, Dick, I Agree With Your Free Distributions of Books about Our History

October 2008

I truly hope the foregoing expresses your view of the importance of distributing history books free to some important recovery segments now. The hunger grows. The need grows. And the naysayers grow. But here is the importance of distributing books free.

Why?

• At my CityTeam four-day seminar several months ago, CityTeam itself distributed free copies of my title, The Good Book and the Big Book, to every single person attending. Dozens asked me to sign their books. And all left the conference with something to take home and study. Most were only a week out of jail, rehab, or homeless status; and/or had recently started attending 12 Step meetings.

• In my eight different seminars at the Wilson House, the books weren’t free; but all present flocked to the desk for signatures. And they too went home with something to study.

• This last week, at two different history conference sessions in the Pasadena area, one free book was given to each person attending. Again, those attended flooded me with requests for signing. And they went home with something to study.

• Year after year, pioneer AA Clarence Snyder gave a free copy of DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers to each new person attending his retreats for AAs and their families.

Where? To your sponsors and sponsees, study groups and history meetings, churches, recovery groups, prisons, clergy, homeless groups, veterans, armed services personnel, rehabs, Celebrate Recovery, Overcomers Outreach, the Net Institute, YWAM, Teen Challenge, Alcoholics Victorious, the Salvation Army, your therapist, treatment centers, and similar friends of recovery.

How? Just purchase a box of our books at the discounted price of $400.00 (including Shipping and Handling). We’ll ship the box to you via USPS Media Mail. And you do the message carrying.

Expect Results! For years now, about half the emails, visits, letters, and approaches at conferences come from people who have already read one or more of my books. Often, someone gave that person a copy. And these are the people who stick, grow, and serve.

Bill W. wanted to keep talking about it. Why shouldn’t we! Big Book, page 191 states:

[Bill Wilson said to Henrietta Dotson, wife of A.A. Number Three Bill Dotson:]

“Henrietta, the Lord has been so wonderful to me, curing me of this terrible disease, that I just want to keep talking about it and telling people.”

More to Come

Dick B., PO Box 837, Kihei, HI 96753-0837; dickb@dickb.com; 808 874 4876; http://dickb.com/titles.shtml.

And this Addendum

You may not know: Hawaii’s Lieutenant Governor James “Duke” Aiona, Jr., enabled two benefactors of ours to ship a box and a package of A.A. history books to each of the fourteen prisons in the Hawaii State prison system. Free to the prisons and their libraries. Another single benefactor of ours enabled 22,500 of our history books to be sent free to just one treatment center in New Jersey. Bill B. of Delaware has, for many years, been giving away free our history books to AAs and the afflicted. This, ever since he attended our seminars at the Wilson House in Vermont. Steve F. in Florida has donated boxes of Clarence Snyder books to Dr. Bob’s Boyhood Home in St. Johnsbury, Vermont. A benefactor enabled Pastor Ed to carry our history books into the Maui Correctional Facility many times. Other benefactors have donated multiple copies of Dr. Bob of Alcoholics Anonymous to the Dr. Bob Core Library at North Congregational Church in St. Johnsbury, Vermont and also to the Welcome Center, the St. Johnsbury Academy, and the Athenaeum in St. Johnsbury. One benefactor has donated boxes of Dr. Bob and Anne Smith free to Dr. Bob’s Home in Akron, Ohio. Another benefactor has donated many New Light on Alcoholism books about Sam Shoemaker to Shoemaker’s church in Pittsburgh. Still another has donated free Shoemaker books to Episcopal rectors of churches in New York and Pittsburgh. One benefactor has donated books liberally to Dr. Bob’s St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Akron. Now the flood gates have been opened in California. Have there been many others? You bet. Just ask, and we will tell you about them and where the free books went.

Gloria Deo

[Recently someone asked who “Gloria” was. The Latin phrase bespeaks “to the glory of God.”