the hollowing of the calgary herald

An oral history of the slow, sad decline of a once-mighty daily newspaper, in book form for the first time.

For more than a century, the Calgary Herald was the heartbeat of Alberta’s largest city, reflecting—and reinforcing—the mores and values of Calgary itself. Other news outlets have come and gone, but no local publication had the power, influence, and longevity of the Herald. As the 21st century arrived, however, so did a number of threats: increasingly aggressive owners, awkward consolidations and mergers, and, of course, the internet. As the transition to digital brought the entire Canadian news industry to its knees, the Herald came right down with it.

Jeremy Klaszus’s The Hollowing of the Calgary Herald is a thoughtful and clear-eyed account of what happens when a big-city newspaper of record slowly crumbles. It is also, unfortunately, a story that is being repeated all across North America. Calgary could be your city, too, if it isn’t already.

Our adaptation of Klaszus’s feature is a 64-page hardcover with electric green paper, foil-stamped iconography, and a letterpress-printed title band. It also includes an all-new afterword in which Klaszus receives and responds to “letters to the editor” about the initial report.

The Hollowing of the Calgary Herald is part of H&O’s Permanent Record longform series. It is available in an edition of 500 copies, each of which is hand-numbered and signed by Klaszus, plus a small number of lettered overs.