<Tr> <Th> ISBN </Th> <Td> 1 - 893007 - 16 - 2 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> OCLC </Th> <Td> 408888189 </Td> </Tr> <P> Alcoholics Anonymous: The Story of How Many Thousands of Men and Women Have Recovered from Alcoholism (generally known as The Big Book because of the thickness of the paper used in the first edition) is a 1939 basic text, describing how to recover from alcoholism, primarily written by one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), William G. "Bill W ." Wilson . It is the originator of the seminal "twelve - step method" widely used to treat many addictions, from alcoholism and heroin addiction to marijuana addiction, as well as overeating, sex addiction, gambling addiction, with a strong spiritual and social emphasis . </P> <P> It is one of the best - selling books of all time, having sold 30 million copies . In 2011, Time magazine placed the book on its list of the 100 best and most influential books written in English since 1923, the beginning of the magazine . In 2012, the Library of Congress designated it as one of 88 "Books that Shaped America ." </P>

Who wrote the stories in the big book