Dick B. (Richard G. Burns, J.D., CDAAC, 1925–2015) was widely regarded as the “unofficial historian of Alcoholics Anonymous.” A graduate of U.C. Berkeley (Phi Beta Kappa) and Stanford Law School (Case Editor of the Stanford Law Review), Dick practiced law for 36 years before alcoholism ended his practice and he joined A.A. on April 21, 1986. In early 1990, a young Christian AA named John asked him, “Did you know that A.A. came from the Bible?”—a question that launched 25 years of research, until Dick’s death on September 12, 2015.

With 29+ years of continuous sobriety, Dick B. sponsored more than 100 men in their recovery and authored 45 published titles, 1,750+ articles, and approximately 200 recorded audio talks on the roles played by God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible in early A.A.’s astonishing success. His best-known title, The Good Book and The Big Book: A.A.’s Roots in the Bible, has 200,000+ copies in circulation. His complete body of work is preserved in The Dick B. A.A. History Reference Set—31 volumes available at DickBonRecovery.com.