Preview our FALL 2024 catalog, featuring more than 500 new books on art, photography, design, architecture, film, music and visual culture.
THING
Edited by Robert Ford, Trent Adkins, Lawrence Warren.
A full facsimile reproduction of the era-defining queer magazine that documented Chicago’s Black nightlife scene of the early ’90s
Started in 1989 by designer and writer Robert Ford, THING magazine was the voice of Chicago’s queer Black music and arts scene in the early 1990s. Ford and his editors were part of the burgeoning house music scene, which originated in Chicago’s queer underground, and some of the top DJs and musicians from that time were featured in the magazine, including Frankie Knuckles and RuPaul. THING published 10 issues from 1989 to 1993, before it was cut short by Ford’s death from HIV/AIDS-related causes. While THING primarily focused on music, it also opened its pages to a wide range of subjects: poetry and gossip, fiction and art, interviews and polemics. The AIDS crisis loomed large in its contents, particularly in the personal reflections and practical resources that it published. In a moment when the gay community was besieged by the AIDS crisis and a wantonly cruel government, the influence and significance of this cheaply produced newsprint magazine vastly exceeded its humble means, presenting a beautiful portrait of the ball and club cultures that existed in Chicago with deep intellectual reflections. THING was a publication by and for its community, and understood the fleetingness of its moment. To reencounter this work today is to reinstate the Black voices who were so central to the history of AIDS activism and queer and club culture, but which were often sidelined by white queer discourse. This volume collects all 10 editions of this iconic magazine.
STATUS: Forthcoming | 3/18/2025
This title is not yet published in the U.S. To pre-order or receive notice when the book is available, please email orders @ artbook.com
FORMAT: Pbk, 8 x 10 in. / 460 pgs / 12 color / 448 b&w. LIST PRICE: U.S. $35.00 LIST PRICE: CANADA $53 ISBN: 9798988573647 PUBLISHER: Primary Information AVAILABLE: 3/18/2025 DISTRIBUTION: D.A.P. RETAILER DISC: TRADE PUBLISHING STATUS: Forthcoming AVAILABILITY: Awaiting stock TERRITORY: NA ONLY
Published by Primary Information. Edited by Robert Ford, Trent Adkins, Lawrence Warren.
A full facsimile reproduction of the era-defining queer magazine that documented Chicago’s Black nightlife scene of the early ’90s
Started in 1989 by designer and writer Robert Ford, THING magazine was the voice of Chicago’s queer Black music and arts scene in the early 1990s. Ford and his editors were part of the burgeoning house music scene, which originated in Chicago’s queer underground, and some of the top DJs and musicians from that time were featured in the magazine, including Frankie Knuckles and RuPaul. THING published 10 issues from 1989 to 1993, before it was cut short by Ford’s death from HIV/AIDS-related causes.
While THING primarily focused on music, it also opened its pages to a wide range of subjects: poetry and gossip, fiction and art, interviews and polemics. The AIDS crisis loomed large in its contents, particularly in the personal reflections and practical resources that it published. In a moment when the gay community was besieged by the AIDS crisis and a wantonly cruel government, the influence and significance of this cheaply produced newsprint magazine vastly exceeded its humble means, presenting a beautiful portrait of the ball and club cultures that existed in Chicago with deep intellectual reflections. THING was a publication by and for its community, and understood the fleetingness of its moment. To reencounter this work today is to reinstate the Black voices who were so central to the history of AIDS activism and queer and club culture, but which were often sidelined by white queer discourse. This volume collects all 10 editions of this iconic magazine.
