Kiss ‘Hottest Brand in the Land’ Merchandise Photo Book Announced
The Kiss merchandising craze of the '70s and '80s is documented in a massive new coffee-table photo book called The Hottest Brand in the Land.
You can preview eight of the 390 pages from the 10"x10", officially band-sanctioned book by Kiss archivist Nicholas Buckland below.
Promising "the complete and authorized story of the merchandising craze that swept America," The Hottest Brand in the Land features photos and information on lunchboxes, clothing, comics, trashcans, belt buckles, tour books, mirrors and more, all adorned with images of the band and its distinctive face paint, costumes and logo.
The photos feature rare items from "deep inside collectors' vaults from all around the world, including the U.S.A., Australia, Europe, Canada and Japan," and will also reveal the correspondence and financial dealings between Kiss and their licensees courtesy of archival documents from Aucoin Management and Boutwell Enterprises.
Kiss: The Hottest Brand in the Land is expected to ship in July or August, and can be pre-ordered in a $99 standard or $149 deluxe edition from hottestbrandbook.com.
Kiss are currently touring Europe as part of their extended End of the Road farewell tour. They will return to the U.S. for another six weeks of dates beginning Aug. 6 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Fla. You can get complete show and ticket information at their official website.
The location and date of the band's last-ever show has yet to be revealed, but frontman Paul Stanley recently told 95.7 The Hog that "we do have a final date pretty much planned. We're not announcing it yet, but it would be crazy to have the End of the Road tour that never ends. So yes, it does end."
Preview the New 'Kiss: Hottest Brand in the Land' Photo Book