SHOE’S BLACK BOOK

Graffiti in the 1980s by Niels SHOE Meulman

Niels Meulman a.k.a. SHOE is an Amsterdam originated graffiti writer who started in the early 1980s influenced by the big punk graffiti scene of his home town. As soon as New York graffiti landed in the Dutch capital in 1983 he started developing a brilliant unique style. Together with partners like DELTA and BANDO he significantly shaped the letter and tag styles in major European cities from the mid 80s on. Circulating Xerox copies of his pieces and sketches influenced a whole generation of writers all over the continent back then.

The blackbook he carried from 1985 on included some of the most famous pieces and sketches at that time and was so precious that it even got stolen by writers in 1989 (and luckily returned five years later). Although Niels Meulman evolved into an well known artist of the Calligraffiti movement the importance of his early contributions to stylewriting are without a doubt elementary for the European history of graffiti.

The publication SHOE’S BLACK BOOK pays tribute to this legacy but is not only a simple facsimile. Unlike a one-to-one replica the 232-paged book gives you way more: it pairs every single scanned page of his original blackbook with an explanatory extra page including detailed background information, contexts, additional shots and authentic memories by SHOE on the shown photos and sketches.

The guided tour through his archive is accompanied by an introduction from Carlo McCormick and also includes an alphabetical index to find important drafts and works. Relating to the common practice of having your blackbook signed by befriended and well respected writers SHOE decided to individually tag each book’s cover what makes them unique collectors items!

232 pages, 24 x 33 cm, softcover with flaps, unique signed cover
Language: English
ISBN: 978-90-833493-4-3
Release date: December 2025
Publisher: Ruyzdael Publishing