Big Book Page xi
Preface
"PREFACE T his is the fourth edition of the book "Alcoholics Anonymous." The first edition appeared in April 1939, and in the following sixteen years, more than 300,000 copies went into circulation."— Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, page xi. A short quotation, for identification and study. Read the whole page in your own copy →
What's on page xi
Page xi sits in Preface. Read the surrounding pages in your own copy to get the run of the argument.
Reading the page itself, the language here turns on the Traditions, anonymity. That's taken from the page's own words — not from anybody's summary of them.
Read it for yourself
We don't reproduce the Big Book here. The book belongs to Alcoholics Anonymous — and honestly, the book is better than any summary of it. Buy a copy from A.A., read it free at aa.org, or pick one up at a meeting. Then come back and search it when you're chasing a line you only half-remember.
Quick answers
What part of the Big Book is page xi in?
Page xi is in Preface of Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition.
What is on page xi of the Big Book?
Page xi sits in Preface. Reading the page itself, its language turns on the Traditions, anonymity. Recovery Starts does not reproduce the Big Book — the book belongs to A.A. — so to read the page in full, get your own copy.
Can I read page xi of the Big Book online for free?
Not here — Recovery Starts does not reproduce Alcoholics Anonymous, because the book belongs to A.A. and the book is better than any summary of it. You can read the Big Book free at aa.org, buy a copy from the official A.A. store, or pick one up at almost any meeting. Recovery Starts can tell you which page a passage is on and search the book for you; for the words themselves, go to the book.
This is an independent Big Book reference page from Recovery Starts — not official AA literature, not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, and not medical advice. Page references are to Alcoholics Anonymous (the Big Book), 4th Edition. Short quotations appear for identification and study; the full text of the book is not reproduced here — get your own copy. If you're in crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).