Big Book Dictionary/FAQ

Has the dictionary been submitted for "Conference Approval" ?

   There seems to be great misunderstanding about literature becoming "Conference Approved". As recently defined and simply put, "Conference Approved" materials develop from an expressed need for the creation of a particular form of literature from within the 92 member Conference and the Board of Directors. Then, if passed by vote, the particular form of literature will be developed by a committee assigned the task. There are numerous forms of 'guidelines' distributed by GSO that are not "Conference Approved". As to approval or disapproval of any 'creation' of members or even non-members - the "outside issue" rule applies - GSO has no opinion - for or against. This dictionary aid, is not and could not become "Conference Approved" because it did not originate from nor was it developed through the "Conference" process - along with Webster's Dictionary, Roget's Thesaurus, The American Heritage Dictionary - to mention only a few. MORE AT BOTTOM about "Conference Approved - from Dick B's website.

Notes about the dictionary and it's creation.
     Word selection criteria existed though too complex to define in depth here - and to a large extent - directed by 'Higher Powers' :-) Essentially 'the bar' was a theoretical 3rd grade level - though any word which might be viewed as odd, unusual, or unique in appearance was often included. The covered pages were scanned slowly and methodically 4 distinct times in an effort to consider all the words worthy of entry. In the end, there remained some 160 words that were given consideration and decided upon to not be included - based on the fact that they were too commonly used - simple in structure and look - and did not meet any other of our criteria.

     Development began - Fall 1995 - Completed Fall 1998 - First Printing Completed late October 1998 ( Actually 'copy' and binding work - all was created with MS Word ) ( 1000 copies ordered - 900 made ) Second Printing with minor revisions completed January 1999 ( 5,000 copies ordered - 4,860 copies made ) Third Printing with many additions and approximately 30 minor revisions to previous definitions was completed in late August of 1999 ( 10,000 copies ordered - 9,860 copies made ). 4th. Printing - "The Minneapolis 2000 Convention Edition" printed in June 2000. ( 25,000 copies ordered - 25,250 copies made ) Over 5,000 copies were sold during the Minneapolis 2000 International Convention and nearly 300 given away.

2/3/2009 - Over 350,000 dictionaries have been sold and distributed. Over 1,000 copies are distributed each week.

   One of the most often questions asked: Did you use a 1930 something dictionary. I'll reserve my personal findings and opinions here - though this link will take you to some photos as the answer to that question. :-)
OLD DICTIONARY

If you would like to suggest a word for addition - simply email me.

What “Conference Approved” Literature Means Copied with permission from Dick B. www.dickb.com
GSO Box 4-5-9 1978 ( Volume 23, No 4 )	Any literature that pertains to the principles of AA or is approved by a Group Conscience - is perfectly acceptable to be read by any AA member or in an AA meeting.
You hear it in meetings, “…we have AA Approved Literature available for sale at cost…” You hear it in group conscience meetings “…we should only allow readings from AA Approved Literature…” You hear non-group members crosstalking in a meeting when someone reads from Richmond Walkers’ 24 Hours a Day, Emmet Fox’s Sermon On The Mount, or one of Ralph Pfau’s Golden Books –“You can’t read that in an AA meeting – it’s NOT AA Approved Literature…” Factually, unlike Alanon, there is no such thing as AA Approved Literature. The early AA’s read from the Bible, the Upper Room, Oswald Chambers, Cecil Rose, Leslie Weatherhead, Sam Shoemaker, Emmet Fox, Richmond Walker, Ralph Pfau and many others – a simple visit to Dickb.com will bear this out. As Dick B. aptly points out “Whatever some may think, A.A. has no index of forbidden books.” In the 1950’s AA World Services took over WORKS publishing’s rights to publish the Big Book and began publishing other books as well. In the course of the next 40 years AAWS began to publish more books but eventually lost the copyright on the first two editions of the Big Book. Until 1993 books which were owned and printed by AAWS were identified by the use of a Circle/Triangle Symbol bearing the three legacies. On May 21, 1993 , an AA World Service Ad Hoc committee released an unsigned document titled: "Follow-up Statement Regarding Use of the Circle/ Triangle Symbol." In it, AAWS stated that "Alcoholics Anonymous will phase out the 'official' use of the circle and triangle symbol in and on its literature, letterheads and other material." That document was issued without a conference action or a "group conscience". The term “Conference Approved” literature now replaces the Circle/Triangle Logo to merely “identify” ( AAGV Vol. 50-7 1993 ) the books solely owned and published by AAWS and not as a predetermined list. The most definitive illustration of this is that the public domain first edition of the Big Book is NOT “Conference Approved”. “Conference Approved” in no way constitutes a list of any written documents of which an AA body approves or disapproves. ( Please see the ad hoc committee Final Report of the 1993 General Service Conference ) A formal statement concerning the Conference, the G.S.O, and what AA members read was issued by the General Services Office of AA in 1978.
“WHAT CONFERENCE - APPROVED MEANS” GSO Box 4-5-9 1978 (Volume 23, No 4) AA’s General Service Office said: “*It does not* mean the Conference disapproves of any other publications*. Many local A.A. central offices publish their own meeting lists. A.A. as a whole does not* oppose these, any more than A.A. disapproves of the Bible or any other publications from any source that A.A.’s find useful. What any A.A. member reads is no business of G.S.O., or of the Conference, naturally.”