I was recently reading, The complete book of locksmithing by Bill Phillips.
This book was also very helpful as a reference tool.
I was just wondering if anybody else has read this book. And by the way, it's the fifth edition which I've read.

yeah i read it its good. got it from the local library. i was supprised to see it there but apparantly a locksmith had ordered it.

The Bill Phillips book is a very good book, but the title word "complete" is a bit misleading, it should be called the "almost complete" It has been a while since I read it so don't ask me what he left out, I just remember thats what I thought of it.

I did notice that there wasn't much about safes.

Only steal or check this book out of a library - $30 can buy you a average SO set or a lot of homebrew material.

Not a lot of detail on auto entry techniques- lacks diagrams and the lock picking section is weak indeed.

Exam questions were a plus and worthy of photocopying.

The book did have good diagrams on some sections. When it came to teaching the different types of locks, and how they work it think it was quite clear.

Could it be you're on the wrong forum?

I bought it - the history section is OK but I agree the picking section is pants (get MIT instead) and there is a lack of decent info on lever locks (in case that was your reason to buy it).

And you can pretty much disregard alot of the "security system" info as it is about 15-20 years out of date. You may run into some of the stuff, but probably not much.
The book is good for a primer on terminology, concepts etc.
Chuck

I have both his Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing and his book
Locksmithing which is a revised edition of Professional Locksmithing Techniques

While lock picking and forced entry is certainly covered, neither book is worth buying for the lockpicking info alone.

However both books are excellent for helping one learn about basic locksmithing terminology, techniques, and tools and equipment.

Locksmithing, while having a lot of the same info as Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing, seemed to me more like a textbook for a student at a locksmith trade school. It also has several chapters on actually running a locksmith business that CBOLocks does not cover in as much detail.

Both books are available at www.amazon.com and www.amazon.ca (for Canadians) . When I last checked 2nd hand copies were also listed offering a significant savings.

I don't want to come across as the LP101 Thought Police, but this thing should really not be tolerated around here. It's just my opinion. I mean if it's a joke, it's a joke, but there are better things to joke about than stealing a Locksmithing book from a public library and spending the money you "saved" on some SouthOrd lockpicks.