Chicago Reader celebrates 50 years with new book

Chicago's alt-weekly is celebrating more than a half-century with a new coffee table book.

Why it matters: Throughout its more than 50 years, the Reader has covered underground arts scenes, the historic elections of Harold Washington and Barack Obama, political corruption and counterculture — and it's always been free.

State of play: The paper launched a fundraiser for the "Free Chicago: Fifty Years of the Reader" book last month, and more than $130,000 has been pledged as of yesterday.

• The campaign ends tonight at 9.

Zoom in: The book will draw from 2,500 issues of the paper, and include John Conroy 's groundbreaking reporting on police abuse, Cliff Doerksen's James Beard Award-winning story on the history of mincemeat pie, and memories from past contributors and staff.

What they're saying: "We're taking advantage of the format to actually show the paper in all its various incarnations, complete with the show listings, classified, and quirky personal ads that make it such a unique reading experience," Christopher Hass, who's working on the project, tells Axios.

Between the lines: Like many newspapers, the Reader has fallen on difficult financial times in recent years and has been under revolving leadership.

• It transitioned to a nonprofit model in 2022 .

What's next: The Reader's Chastity Cooper tells Axios they're on track to publish the book by year-end.