Making the Little Black Book: Inside the Working Manuscript of Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Since 1954, more than ten million people have depended on the wisdom and insight offered in the core recovery staple Twenty-Four Hours a Day. Now, for the first time ever, the original working manuscript is made public, so you can see firsthand what went into making what the recovery community calls the Little Black Book.Second only to the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, Twenty-Four Hours a Day is a mainstay for millions of people worldwide in recovery from addiction. In this elegant reproduction of the manuscript for this indispensable meditation book, you’ll see the evolution of the insights of recovery luminary Richmond Walker, the book’s anonymous author, through his creative process.The high-quality four-color scans of the manuscript pages feature handwritten edits, rewrites, notes of inquiry, page cuts, and section shuffles that offer powerful insights into the writing of this recovery classic. Excerpts from God Calling, one of Walker’s key sources, are featured and compared with the final manuscript he adapted for Twenty-Four Hours a Day. Recovery historian Damian McElrath enlightens readers as he traces the book’s origins, exploring the spiritual foundations of its messages and bringing to light little-known facts about Walker’s life. A selection of Walker’s writings and letters and transcripts from never-before-published talks are also included.