{"product_id":"free-chicago-50-years-of-the-reader-9798218515577","title":"Free Chicago: 50 Years of the Reader","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFree Chicago: 50 Years of the Reader\u003c\/i\u003e is an oversized coffee table book that tells the incredible story of the nation's longest surviving free city paper.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Chicago in 1971, a group of friends gathered around a dining room table to assemble the first issue of a new, \"alternative\" newspaper. It was designed for an audience that was young, urban, and hip--and they gave it away for free. In the process, they created a new model of journalism that gave birth to an entire industry: the alt-weekly.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eFree Chicago: 50 Years of the Reader\u003c\/i\u003e is a rich, visual tour of the first five decades of the \u003ci\u003eChicago Reader\u003c\/i\u003e, drawn from the archives of more than 2,500 issues, supplemented with interviews and essays, as well as never-before-seen notes, manuscripts, and production materials.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eReader\u003c\/i\u003e's striking design, irreverent voice, and innovative long-form journalism became a model and inspiration for an explosion of free city papers that launched across the country. \u003ci\u003eFree Chicago\u003c\/i\u003e covers every era of the \u003ci\u003eReader\u003c\/i\u003e, from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, along with all the near-deaths and last-minute saves that have kept the \u003ci\u003eReader\u003c\/i\u003e alive for more than 50 years.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eChristopher Hass\u003c\/b\u003e is a writer, editor, and designer who has worked in journalism, politics, and publishing for 25 years. He was most recently the publisher of \u003ci\u003eIn These Times\u003c\/i\u003e magazine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Illinois Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52078083703058,"sku":"9798218515577","price":46.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_dcfee900-5c4e-4aa6-8956-4d7d60e1093b.jpg?v=1772528209","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/free-chicago-50-years-of-the-reader-9798218515577","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}