Hi,

Ernie Kurtz here.  *Not-God,* which was researched 1974-1979 and published 
in 1979 (the later “revision” added only a chapter on AA’s history after 
Bill W’s death), is now very much out of date.  I would like to think that 
my book was one thing that sparked the immense interest in AA history that 
we have seen since and especially recently.  For the younger among you, 
when I was hunting through New England book barns during my research, I 
found many copies of first editions of the Big Book, priced from $.50 to 
$1.25.  Of course I never bought one ­ I had my own copy already!  This may 
perhaps explain why scholars are poor.

Anyway:  the ongoing research has uncovered many matters that I omitted or 
got wrong in *Not-God*”  Bill W’s exact sobriety date, the shenanigans 
around the original stock certificates and other matters relating to 
finances, what happened in Akron after Dr. Bob’s AA left the auspices of 
the Oxford Group and began meeting at King School . . . . and many 
more.  And many new resources have turned up:  the Clarence Snyder and Sue 
Smith Windows papers now at Brown University, the Marty Mann papers at 
Syracuse University, the new information turned up in the Browns’ story of 
Marty Mann and Nancy Olson’s study of the politics behind alcoholism 
treatment reform, for just a few examples.

It thus troubles me a bit when I hear *Not-God* referred to as “the 
authoritative history of AA.”  Surely from a scholarly point of view that 
is not true:  there is too much later knowledge that is available and 
should be part of any “authoritative history.”

I am not sure who will undertake this task ­ it will almost certainly not 
be me.   It may be Bill White or Rick Tompkins or one of our many younger 
hobbyist-historians.  The choice of that individual will be made by the 
then-editors of the AAHistoryLovers and ASDH listservs and myself, though 
we may choose to include others in our deliberations. Anyone, of course, is 
welcome to try to be the updater, but because the original *Not-God* was a 
scholarly endeavor and accepted as such, we hope to preserve that credibility.

What I am asking is that if you know of any errors or omissions in 
*Not-God,* you send a notice of them to me.  I will try to be the node that 
gathers together all the new information.   My present intention is to 
insert the new or revised information in brackets at approximately the 
place I think it may fit in the original manuscript (which I have on 
computer through the kindness of friends) so that someone else can 
construct a new book, a more accurate history of AA that will be as 
“authoritative” as we can make it in for AA's 70th birthday in 2005.  [I do 
not require that the new book be titled “Not-Ernie.”]

Please note that to achieve that end, the ultimate writer will need the 
source material behind your new information.  Historians always ask: “1. 
What is my evidence?  2.  Is there any other evidence that I am overlooking 
or ignoring?  3.  What else was going on at the time ­ what is the context 
of this event?”  Please be sure to answer at least the first question when 
you send your information submission.

Please send your contributions and thought to either the AAHistoryLovers or 
the ADHS listserv and, I hope and ask, please, also directly to me at 
[log in to unmask]

It is time to bring into general knowledge the many important things that 
so many of you have so devotedly worked to explore and discover.

ernie kurtz
[log in to unmask]
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