RICHMOND WALKER

Author
nativemoon
Posts: 10
10/10/10 10:23

Richmond Walker and the Twenty-Four Hour Book

From: http://www.barefootsworld.net/aa24hoursbook.html


The second most popular A.A. author in total book sales, second only to Bill W. himself, was Richmond Walker. He was a man from the Boston area who managed to get sober in 1939 in the old Oxford Group. There was no AA group in Boston yet at that time. He stayed sober in the Oxford Group for two and a half years, before going back to drinking in 1941. After a year and a half of drinking, he joined the newly founded Boston AA group in May 1942, and finally found lasting sobriety there, never to drink again for the rest of his life. Rich died on Mar. 25, 1965 (72 years old) with 22 years of sobriety in AA.


He originally wrote this material on small cards which he carried in his pocket, to aid him in his own sobriety. In 1948, he put it together in the little meditation book called "Twenty-Four Hours a Day, " at the request of the AA group in Daytona Beach, Florida, which they printed on the printing press at the county courthouse and began distributing all over the country under the sponsorship of their A.A. group. For many years it was the basic meditation book for all A.A.'s.


The book sold over 80,000 copies during the first ten years alone, which means that over 10,000 copies a year were eventually having to be packaged and shipped out year after year, just to keep up with the demand. It did not take long for Rich to become totally overwhelmed by the task. In 1953, he asked the New York A.A. office if they would take over this job, but his request was turned down.


In their defense, New York was desperately short on money, staff, and space; they also already had their hands full with the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, which came out in April of that same year. They only just barely managed to cobble together a financial deal to get that vital book published.
Hazelden offered to publish and distribute the book in 1954. It is still widely used by A.A. members and groups today, with over eight million copies sold.


The little book became the second most popular book in AA history (exceeded only by the Big Book). It explained how to carry out the eleventh step, how to practice the presence of God, and how to attain soul-balance and inner calm. It explained how to practice meditation by quieting the mind and entering the Divine Silence in order to enter the divine peace and calm and restore our souls.


At the top of each page Rich lays out basic meat-and-potatoes information about how we used to behave when we were drinking, how we need to change our lives, and what we need to do in order to keep the A.A. fellowship together.
Then at the bottom of each page he tells us how to pray and meditate. This part of the book forms one of the ten greatest practical works on learning to live the spiritual life that have ever been written, in any century, including both the western world and the world of Asian religions. The eleventh step says "Sought through prayer and meditation (a) to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for (b) knowledge of His will for us and (c) the power to carry that out." Rich's little black book tells us how to actually do that.


His experience in the Oxford Group in 1939-1941 comes out strongly in "Twenty-Four Hours a Day," coming partly from Rich's own experience in the group, and coming partly from his use of an Oxford Group work on prayer and meditation, "God Calling," by Two Listeners.


For those who would like to bring modern AA back closer to Oxford Group beliefs and practices, "Twenty-Four Hours a Day" is the most strongly Oxford-Group-oriented work written by an early AA author.




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Author
EasyDoesIt
Posts: 118
10/10/10 12:02
Administrator

This was one of the first books given and signed to me by a dear now passed oldtimer, I cherish it...

In N.A. there was also a group that preceeded it that many are not aware of and think the founder as someone else. I am not even sure if we can say Oxford was original in its concepts as many are from the Sermon on the Mount. Just practical and principaled living. What I do like is that with time people have been open to change and less indifference in who is welcome, and any rules that were musts are now choice. Although there are still some very staunch Book thumpers out there, I feel Even Bill W understood he was not the message but just a messenger and how little he and we really know is still uncomprehenisible ....Thanks for the good post and being here ,...




Moved from Recovery Inn's AA history room by alfee

Thanks you learn somethingnew all the time. These little books I always loved. Got one that is no longer made forgot the name will have to pull it out, we are packing and I always make sure my recovery books are kept pristine. The first book someone gave me was the Sermon on the Mount. Never quite understood why but I found it very interesting. Especially once I started doing the steps.

Thank you for all you are doing here. Love Tink