lockpicking books

[hammer70]

hi i am a locksmith in england quiet new to the game, and i am wondering is there any books out there that i could read that would give me more knowledge of opening locks?

[keysman]

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=10715

[Squelchtone]

keysman is right. there is nothing in any book that you cannot find here. I like the feel of a real book in ones hand, but the books on picking are limited and are more or less 20 page booklets that have been reprinted since 1970 and sold in the back of soldier of fortune or popular mechanics magazines.

For basic theory and tips on improving your skills, this forum is top notch, but there is no substitute for hours and hours of hands on practice. In my first year here, I picked for 2 hours per night, these days I dont have that much time to pick, and when I do pick I can tell I am getting rusty.

poke around, ask questions, and enjoy everything the forum has to offer,
Squelchtone

[pickmonger]

Some people like a brief explanation and can take it from there. For them the sites content is just fine.

In my opinion two excellent books (both over 200 pages each) are

Practical Lock Picking: A Physical Penetration Tester's Training Guide By Deviant Ollam
236 pages

Visual Guide to Lock Picking (Third Edition) by Mark McCloud, Gonzalez de Santos and Mirko Jugurdzija (Jan 1, 2007) 208 pages

The books cover many topics in a lot more detail and continuity of flow than the postings on this site.
The books illustrations that accompany the text make it alot easier for many to understand.

Don't get me wrong, this site is an amazing resource and can teach you the basics. Many have learned to pick with just the content here

However you may find the experiance a lot easier with one of the better books that are out there.

A free guide that I think every picker should read is the LSI Guide with excellent photos and explanitory text.

http://www.lockpickguide.com/support-files/lsiguide.pdf

[Wizer]

Solomon, a member here wrote a great book about lockpicking. You can read it here:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jacqueline ... erkill.pdf
The password is: evva3ks
Read that and this forum, and you´ll be a pro in notime!

[Bob Jim Bob]

Practical Lock Picking: A Physical Penetration Tester's Training Guide By Deviant Ollam
236 pages

This was a very good book, worth getting. Excellent instruction on picking.

The Visual Guide to Lock Picking was not nearly as detailed about picking, and not nearly as good as Practical Lock Picking. But it does have sections on combination padlocks, so if cracking a combo is for you, get it.

[Legion303]

The more I pick, the more I become convinced that the best way to learn isn't from a book. If you can't disassemble the locks yourself to get an idea of how they work, get books on locks like Graham Pulford's (another forum member), not books on picking, and practice.

-steve

[Aldenrenfrid]

Solomon, a member here wrote a great book about lockpicking. You can read it here:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/jacqueline ... erkill.pdf
The password is: evva3ks
Read that and this forum, and you´ll be a pro in notime!

I like it, blunt, easy to understand illustrations, and good descriptions, two thumbs up!

[hammer70]

thanks a million guys for the help and advice.