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What is Silkworth.net?
Silkworth.net is an unofficial Alcoholics Anonymous history and literature archive. It gathers core AA texts, historical background, and free media in one place, with the stated aim of helping visitors “experience the history” of AA.
H3 What you'll find
- AA literature and program basics: the Big Book (including a 164-page version), first- and second-edition Big Book stories, the Preamble, the 12 Steps, 12 Traditions, 12 Concepts, the 9th Step Promises, the Serenity Prayer, and a page of prayers.
- AA history: material on the Emmanuel Movement, the Washingtonians, magazine and newspaper articles, a narrative of AA, timelines, places and people in AA history, and profiles of early figures and Big Book story authors.
- Writings and influences: articles and writings by AA members, plus a library of books that shaped early AA thought, such as The Varieties of Religious Experience, In His Steps, As a Man Thinketh, and The Confessions of Saint Augustine.
- Free media: audiobooks and speaker tapes, videos of Bill Wilson, a large PDF collection, and free 12-step apps for iPhone and Android.
H3 Who it suits
It is most useful to people who want AA's source documents and early history without hunting across many sites: newcomers curious about the Steps and Traditions, members preparing to speak or lead a meeting, and researchers or archivists. Someone seeking a local meeting, immediate crisis help, or official AA service information should go to AA's own structures instead.
H3 Practical notes
The site is a volunteer-style collection rather than an official AA body, so treat historical claims and document versions as leads to verify against primary sources. Some material is offered through a subscription, with PayPal as a payment route. The homepage lists free apps and downloads, so it is worth checking those before paying for anything elsewhere.
A useful next step: if you are new to AA, start with the Preamble, the 12 Steps, and the first-edition Big Book stories; if you are researching, begin with the timeline and “Who's Who” sections. For official AA information, see Alcoholics Anonymous.
How can I access the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book and other AA literature on Silkworth.net?
You can reach the core AA texts and a large archive of related material directly from Silkworth.net's main navigation. The site is organized as a browsable library rather than a storefront, so most items are one or two clicks from the home page.
What is available and where to look
- The Big Book itself: Listed under "AA Literature" as "A.A. Big Book" and "A.A. Big Book (164 Pages)". The 164-page entry points to the main text; the broader "A.A. Big Book" category also links to the original stories editions.
- Big Book stories: Separate entries for "Big Book Stories Edition 1" and "Big Book Stories Edition 2", useful if you want the personal accounts rather than the instructional chapters.
- Program basics: The 12 Steps, 12 Traditions, 12 Concepts, the Preamble, Singleness of Purpose, the 12 Traditions Checklist, the 9th Step Promises, the Serenity Prayer, Principles of the Program, "I Am Responsible" and a page of prayers.
- History and background: The Emmanuel Movement, the Washingtonians, magazine and newspaper articles, a narrative timeline, timelines in AA history, a manuscript of AA, "Who's Who in A.A. History", Big Book story authors, and writings by AA members.
- Influential books: A reading list including The Greatest Thing in the World, The Varieties of Religious Experience, In His Steps, As a Man Thinketh, When Man Listens, John Barleycorn and The Confessions of Saint Augustine.
- Free media: Free audiobooks and speaker tapes, videos of Bill Wilson, a PDF project described as 1000+ PDFs, and free AA apps for iPhone and Android, including a 12 Step Toolkit app and a Big Book app.
How to get there
Start at the "Categorised listing of all articles" if you are not sure what you want; it is the master index. If you already know the title, use the "AA Literature", "AA History" or "Free Stuff" groupings. The "Free Stuff" section is the fastest route to audio, video, PDFs and mobile apps.
Practical notes for different readers
| If you are… | Best starting point |
|---|---|
| New to AA and want the basic text | A.A. Big Book (164 Pages) under AA Literature |
| Looking for shared experience | Big Book Stories Edition 1 or 2 |
| Researching AA's origins | Narrative of A.A. Timeline, Who's Who, Emmanuel Movement, Washingtonians |
| Wanting audio or offline reading | Free Audiobooks & Speaker Tapes, the PDF Project, or the free apps |
| Interested in the wider spiritual reading behind AA | The Influential Books list |
The site uses PayPal and mentions subscription in its pricing signals, so some parts may involve a paid or supporting option; check the relevant page before assuming everything is free. If you only need the Big Book text, go straight to the 164-page entry and ignore the rest of the archive.
What free AA apps and digital resources does Silkworth.net offer?
Silkworth.net is primarily an A.A. history and literature archive, and its free digital offerings fall into three groups: mobile apps, downloadable documents, and audio/video.
Free apps listed on the site
- Free 12 Step Toolkit App
- Free AA Big Book App
- 10-Days To Sobriety
- Separate listings for free AA apps for iPhone and for Android
Other free digital resources
- The PDF Project, described as a collection of 1000+ PDFs
- Free audiobooks and speaker tapes
- Videos of Bill Wilson
- Core literature pages, including the A.A. Big Book, the 164-page Big Book, Big Book stories (Editions 1 and 2), the 12 Steps, 12 Traditions, 12 Concepts, the Traditions checklist, the 9th Step Promises, the Serenity Prayer, the A.A. Preamble and the Page of Prayers
- History material: the Emmanuel Movement, the Washingtonians, magazine and newspaper articles, a narrative of A.A., timelines, "Places and Things in AA History," "Who's Who in A.A. History" and Big Book story authors
- Member writings and libraries, such as Mel B.'s Library and Dick B.'s Library, plus influential books including The Varieties of Religious Experience, In His Steps, As a Man Thinketh and John Barleycorn
How to choose If you want something to carry on a phone, start with the app listings. If you want to read or print source texts, the PDF Project and the Big Book pages are the better fit. For meetings, driving or low-vision reading, the audiobooks and speaker tapes are more practical.
One caveat: the page lists app names but not platforms, versions or update dates, so check the linked store listing before relying on an app. The site also shows subscription and PayPal signals, so confirm on the page whether a given item is free or paid rather than assuming.
A useful next step: open the "Free Stuff" section first, since it groups the apps, PDFs, audiobooks and videos in one place. For comparison, official A.A. literature is at Alcoholics Anonymous and general service information at AA.org; Silkworth.net's distinct value is its historical and archival material rather than official service information.
What historical information about Alcoholics Anonymous is available on Silkworth.net?
Silkworth.net is primarily an archive of Alcoholics Anonymous history and literature rather than a general recovery site. Its value is depth of primary and secondary material, organized for browsing rather than for quick answers.
What the site covers
- A.A. foundational texts: the Big Book, its 164-page core, and the first two editions of the Big Book stories, plus the Preamble, the 12 Steps, 12 Traditions, 12 Concepts, the Traditions checklist, the 9th Step Promises and the Serenity Prayer.
- Origins and predecessors: the Emmanuel Movement and the Washingtonians, traced through magazine and newspaper articles.
- Timelines and narrative history: an A.A. timeline, further timelines in A.A. history, a manuscript of A.A., and world history material credited to Bob P.
- People and places: "Who's Who in A.A. History," Big Book story authors, writings of A.A. members, and places and things in A.A. history.
- Influential reading: curated libraries attributed to Mel B. and Dick B., alongside titles such as The Greatest Thing in the World, The Varieties of Religious Experience, In His Steps, As a Man Thinketh, When Man Listens, John Barleycorn and the Confessions of Saint Augustine.
- Free media: audiobooks and speaker tapes, videos of Bill Wilson, a PDF project of over 1,000 documents, and free 12-step apps for iPhone and Android.
- Religion and clergy: a section on religion, clergy and A.A.
Who it suits
A reader researching how A.A. developed will find more here than on a meeting-finder or a single-text site. If you want a meeting tonight or a plain-language introduction to the steps, this archive is a poor first stop: it assumes you already care about provenance and chronology. The listing is also dense and repetitive, with the same categories repeated in the navigation, so expect to scroll.
A practical way in
Pick one thread and follow it instead of reading the menus. For a family member trying to understand what a newcomer is being asked to do, start with the 12 Steps and the Preamble, then read one Big Book story from the first edition. For a student writing about the movement's roots, go to the Emmanuel Movement and Washingtonians material, then check the timeline for dates. For someone who prefers listening, the speaker tapes and Bill Wilson videos are the easier entry point.
Trade-offs and next steps
The site leans on older, sometimes devotional framing, and its historical claims are presented without much critical apparatus, so treat it as a repository of documents rather than a neutral history. For a modern, official perspective, compare it with Alcoholics Anonymous; for a scholarly treatment of the movement's religious and temperance background, Wikipedia is a reasonable starting point before you look for book-length histories. If you want the Big Book text itself in a clean format, the free app links on Silkworth.net are the most direct route from this page.
How can I download free AA speaker tapes and audiobooks from Silkworth.net?
Silkworth.net hosts a Free Audiobooks & Speaker Tapes section, reachable from the "Free Stuff" area of the site navigation. That page is the correct starting point; the audio files themselves are served from there rather than from the homepage.
What to expect on the page
- Speaker tapes — recordings of AA members telling their stories at meetings and conventions.
- Audiobook material — readings of AA literature, typically the Big Book and related texts.
- Mixed formats — some items are streamed in the browser, others are direct file downloads. Which one you get depends on the individual listing.
A practical way to do it
- Open the Free Audiobooks & Speaker Tapes page from the site menu.
- Pick a title and click through to its own page or player.
- If a player appears, look for a download or save option in the player controls or your browser's menu.
- If a direct file link appears, right-click (or long-press on mobile) and choose "Save link as…".
- Save to a folder you'll remember, then test the file plays before relying on it offline.
Who this suits
- Commuters and people without reliable data who want talks stored on a phone.
- People in early recovery who find hearing another person's story easier than reading.
- Anyone studying AA history who wants primary audio rather than summaries.
Trade-offs and things to watch
- File sizes are often large. A single long talk can run to tens of megabytes; download over Wi-Fi if you can.
- Older recordings vary in quality. Some tapes are decades old and sound it — that's part of their historical value, not a fault.
- Hosting is donation-supported. The site accepts PayPal, and there are subscription signals, so treat heavy downloading as something worth giving back toward if you use it regularly.
- Mobile playback matters. If you mainly listen on a phone, the free apps listed on the site may be a smoother route than downloading files manually.
Related official resources
For comparison, the General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous publishes its own literature and audio at AA.org, and the Grapevine magazine has its own archive at AA Grapevine. These are useful if a specific item isn't on Silkworth.net.
Next step: open the Free Audiobooks & Speaker Tapes page, download one short item first to confirm the process works on your device, then batch the rest.
What is the purpose of the PDF Project on Silkworth.net?
The PDF Project is Silkworth.net's archive of more than a thousand documents from Alcoholics Anonymous history and literature, offered as free downloads. Its purpose is preservation and access: it gathers early AA texts, Big Book material and stories, writings by AA members, historical timelines and manuscripts, and related books in a single, stable place so that readers, researchers and newcomers can consult original sources without hunting through scattered collections. The site frames this as part of its wider mission to let visitors "experience the history" of AA.
What you will find there
- Core AA literature: the Big Book, its 164-page text, and first- and second-edition Big Book stories
- Program material: the 12 Steps, 12 Traditions, 12 Concepts, the Traditions checklist, the 9th Step Promises, the Serenity Prayer and the Page of Prayers
- History: the Emmanuel Movement, the Washingtonians, AA timelines, magazine and newspaper articles, and a narrative of AA
- Wider reading: writings by AA members, Mel B.'s and Dick B.'s libraries, and influential books such as The Varieties of Religious Experience and In His Steps
How to use it
If you are studying AA history, start with the timeline and narrative sections, then follow citations into the PDF Project for the underlying documents. If you are working the Steps, the Big Book text and story editions are the practical starting point. If you prefer listening or mobile reading, the site also lists free audiobooks and speaker tapes and free AA apps for iPhone and Android.
Trade-off to note
The collection is broad and largely uncurated by topic, so it rewards a specific search question rather than browsing. For official AA literature and meeting information, the General Service Office at Alcoholics Anonymous is the authoritative source; Silkworth.net is best treated as a historical archive and supplement.
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