Before he died, Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay was asked countless times if he could save only one relic from his expansive and rare collection of music, guitars, history and pop culture which one would it be.
Irsay never wavered, his daughters say. It was always the Big Book, the original 1939 working manuscript of Alcoholics Anonymous, which Irsay bought for $2.4 million at an auction in Los Angeles in 2018.
“Our dad understood the struggles countless people everywhere face every day and wanted so badly to bring hope and relief to anyone who was suffering,” Irsay’s daughters and Colts owners, Carlie Irsay-Gordon, Casey Foyt and Kalen Jackson said in a statement announcing the sale. “This manuscript did just that by introducing the 12-step program to the world and saving millions of lives everywhere.
“As he was fond of saying, ‘It’s sheer impact on the world makes it one of the most impactful books ever written.'”
Irsay’s original AA manuscript, complete with extensive handwritten notes and edits by the authors, will be the final lot of The Jim Irsay Collection: Icons of History sale July 1 at Christie’s Rockefeller Center in New York. It is estimated to go for $1 million to $2 million.
“He acquired the Big Book to preserve and protect it, but also to continue sharing its knowledge with the world,” Irsay’s daughters said. “Now, it’s time for the next chapter in the life of the book.”
Christie’s calls the manuscript “a crown jewel in The Jim Irsay Collection.” The Irsay daughters say they will donate 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the Big Book “to philanthropy that was close to his heart.”
Irsay died at the age of 65 in May 2025. Throughout his life, he was outspoken about his struggles with addiction and mental health. He launched Kicking the Stigma in 2020 to raise awareness about mental health disorders and remove the shame associated with mental illness.
About the Big Book
The working manuscript with authors’ notes of Alcoholics Anonymous include the ideas behind the 12-step movement. The Library of Congress has classified it as one of the 88 “Books That Shaped America.”
With more than thirty million copies sold, the published work remains one of the most widely-circulated guides to personal transformation and recovery ever published.
Original author Bill Wilson was an American businessman who saw his life destroyed by alcoholism. By 1934, he had lost nearly everything — his career on Wall Street, his reputation and his health.
During what would become his final hospitalization before sobriety, he experienced what he later described as a “white light” moment, “a powerful experience that convinced him that a spiritual component was essential to recovery,” Christie’s says.
Wilson along with partner Henry Parkhurst, a former Standard Oil executive known for organization, decided they needed a clear, consistent way to share what was working in recovery, which led to the writing of the Big Book and the formal birth of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Learn more about Irsay’s collection and its sale by Christie’s.
Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on X: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Jim Irsay had one item he never wanted to sell. Now, the Big Book is up for auction
Reporting by Dana Hunsinger Benbow, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dana Hunsinger Benbow, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
