AA Grapevine from June 1965 - Bill Tells How AA Began

AA Grapevine issue from June 1965 features the article “How AA Began” by Bill in celebration of the 30th Anniversary of AA. Here is an excerpt from the article:

“Bill writes in AA Comes of Age* that he had been sober for about a year, and was making vigorous but unsuccessful efforts to "sober up" drunks all over New York. As fast as he "preached" to them they got drunk. Finally the suggestion was made to him that he might be concentrating on the wrong things. Bill continues...

Lois was still working in the department store and folks were beginning to say, "Is this fellow Bill going to be a missionary for life? Why doesn't he go to work?" Even to me, this began to look like a good idea. I began to hang around Wall Street again and, through a chance acquaintance I had scraped up in a brokerage shop, I insinuated myself into a proxy row that involved control of a little machine-tool company in Akron, Ohio. In May of 1935 a party of us went out to Akron, fighting for control of the company. I could already see myself as its new president. But when the chips were down the other side had more proxies and our side got licked. My newfound acquaintances were discouraged, and they left me in Akron's Mayflower Hotel with only about ten dollars in my pocket.

They departed on Friday. On Saturday, Mother's Day eve, I was pacing up and down the hotel lobby, wondering what I could do. The bar at one end of my beat was filling up…”

This Grapevine is in excellent condition with some minor wear.

Please view all of the photos for the conditions.