Stuff: A New York Life of Cultural Chaos - by Kim Hastreiter (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A joyful romp through the singular and eclectic material world of a true New York character

Published with Amazing Unlimited.

Kim Hastreiter, cofounder of the beloved Paper magazine, has spent the last 50 years amassing a vast and iconoclastic collection of stuff. This volume, aptly titled STUFF, chronicles an extraordinary slice of history and the people who defined it, using Hastreiter's singular edit of art, fashion, design, photography, books and ephemera as a lens. In these pages you'll meet Hastreiter's amazing friends: at an all-night party in the basement of an East Village church with Keith Haring; a private art sale with Jeffrey Deitch in Phyllis Diller's kitchen; or impromptu cocktails at Trader Vic's with Salvador Dalí and Joey Arias.
STUFF is more than a memoir; it's a loopy, joyous, chaotic ride through the last half century of cultural chaos in the greatest city on earth. Whether you are an OG or a kid, a culture vulture, artist, design buff, fashion nerd, skater, collector, chef, cinephile, New Yorker, uptowner, downtowner, out-of-towner or something else entirely, STUFF will make you feel like you're sitting with Kim in her garden high above Washington Square Park, her booming voice imploring you to pursue your life with compulsive enthusiasm. The book features an exclusive cover design by the elusive yet legendary artist Jim Joe, best known for designing the iconic album cover for Drake's If You're Reading This It's Too Late.
Kim Hastreiter is a New Jersey native and consummate New Yorker. She is a cultural anthropologist and the original multi-hyphenate. An editor, publisher, curator and big idea person, she is best known for cofounding the legendary Paper magazine together with David Hershkovits, which they sold in 2017.

Review Quotes

Kim Hastreiter, co-founder of the hipster mag 'PAPER, ' shows off the hidden charm of a hoarding impulse, grouping decades of sweaters, ceramic peanuts, newspapers, Obama tchotchkes, brand knockoffs. Every few pages, she pauses to tell stories about her famous friends, whom she also collects.--Christopher Borrelli "The Chicago Tribune"

The book's design is a magazine lovers' dream, endlessly flippable and digestible with its short essays.--Tony Bravo "The San Francisco Chronicle"

Told through the objects, friendships, and encounters that shaped it, the book offers a front-row seat to a life lived with curious enthusiasm and is sure to bring joy to anyone who picks it up.--Michael Nolledo "GQ"

The book, itself an objet d'art, is a wittily efficient reliquary: Once placed in your home, Ms. Hastreiter's "Stuff" becomes a part of yours.--Angelina Torre "The Wall Street Journal"

'Stuff: A New York Life of Cultural Chaos' paints an audacious narrative of [Kim Hastreiter's] life through the objects she keeps in her Manhattan apartment.--Orna Guralnik "Sotheby's"

[This] book collects everything from a $12,000 sweater to a Jeff Koons dinner plate, stickers, jewelry and just about every category of art you can think of, resulting in a 'big chaotic archive' of a half-century's worth of New York culture.--Tas Tobey "The New York Times"

My introduction to Kim's wonderland was nothing short of momentous--Whitney Mallett "The World of Interiors"

Using the objects she's collected to tell the stories of the scenes and the social shifts she intersected as the co-founder of 'Paper' magazine, and as one of the most prolific social connectors in the city, the book is part memoir and part catalog of the amazing objects that have defined her life.--Tony Bravo "San Francisco Chronicle"

'Paper' founder Kim Hastreiter [has] been the colorful anchor of her own cultural eddy for decades running.--Rachel Summer Small "Family Style"

[At] once extremely off the wall (both literally and figuratively) and very personal.--Spencer Bailey "The Slowdown"

[Part] personal memoir, part oral history of New York City in the '70s and '80s, and part sneaky how-to guide to living a life steeped in creativity, creation, curiosity, and collaboration.--Laia Garcia-Furtado "Vogue"

Kim Hastreiter, cofounder of 'Paper' magazine, catalogs an eccentric personal collection with this vivacious visual memoir.--Madison Reid "Vanity Fair"

The book is a monster, 450 pages with over 1,400 images, stuffed with 50 years of Hastreiter's life as a cultural anthropologist, 'Paper' magazine co-founder, troublemaker, punk, and yes, friend--to everyone, apparently.--Janet Mercel "Avenue"

Visually arresting, 'Stuff' is more than a personal archive--it's a self-portrait through objects and acerbic text that tells a much bigger cultural narrative.--William Van Meter "Artnet"

The queen of stuff.--Ariel Levy "The New Yorker"

Kim has a great eye for new talent and treats them from the get-go as the stars they will eventually turn into. On top of that, she's the best hostess in the world and is the only person who can introduce you to David Byrne, Joey Arias, Michael Stipe, Alba Clemente, Todd Solondz, Debi Mazar, John Waters, Rubén Toledo or the exquisite Isabel Toledo in her kitchen. Her enthusiasm makes us feel like better artists than we are.--Pedro Almodovar

Kim is a one person social media. She will say "YOU have to meet THIS person!" and is almost always right. It's a public service, no charge. Her stuff is remnants of a life well lived, but these wacky and wonderful things are also convenient conversation starters, even for someone like me who had been somewhat challenged in that area. All of them have stories. Art without pretense, but with lots of surprises. Like Kim, they're connectors.--David Byrne

Kim is more of an artist than a collector. The remarkable contents of Kim's Fifth Avenue home, which you'll find in this book, should be enshrined in a museum of cultural history.--Jeffrey Deitch

Kim's 'STUFF' is the most lively and engaging book I've ever read. There is no end to her creativity. WOW.--Agnes Gund

Something profound doesn't need to be overly serious. Kim is one of the most open and playful people i've ever met. She's also one of the most dedicated, generous, and industrious people i know. This book is like her... overwhelming in range and scope, while deeply human in scale. Detailed and joyous to such a degree that it's unmooring.--James Murphy

STUFF is a meteoric rush of wonder, sass, and cool--told in a torrent of sonic booms. I couldn't put it down.--Michael Stipe

STUFF is a totally new genre of book, carving out a radically new mode of storytelling. The 448 page tome serves as both testament and beacon, a record of collaboratively-engineered creative intelligence that can guide whoever is looking to continue in its lineage.--Whitney Mallet

The most incredible combination of boundless energy, love and taste. If you need a reason to go on, stay close to Kim. She is a life force of the highest order.--Maira Kalman

This book is a tour de force in style and creativity! There will no doubt be a room in the NY Public Library dedicated to this uniquely New York City collection.--Ed Templeton

This is a guide book to individuality and how to live a fun, joyous life. It should be used as an outline for a new way to live in awe for the next generation. Take nothing for granted and take ownership of your uniqueness. Love what you love passionately and share everything. That's Kim in a nutshell.--Lisa Yuskavage