Fallout New Vegas: All Skill Book Locations

Fallout New Vegas Skill Book is a rare consumable item that can be found scattered in various locations all over the Mojave Wasteland. Using these books increases the relevant skill by three points and gives players the option to advance abilities that they would not otherwise focus on when leveling up.

These are not the same things as Skill Magazines, which only boost your skills for a short while. The bonuses imparted by Fallout New Vegas skill books are permanent.

Additionally, If players have at least 6 Intelligences, they can invest in the Comprehension perk when they hit level 3. This allows them to gain an additional skill point from each used book.

Summarized locations of the Skill Books: 

Skill Books	Effect	Location
Big Book of Science	Permanently increases player's Science Skill.	To the northeast of the town of Novac, players can find NCR controlled Camp Forlorn Hope. The book will be on desk in command center.
Chinese Army: Special Ops Training Manual	Players can permanently increase their Sneak Skill.	This can be found inside the Sunstone Tower, on a bookshelf on the southeast landing.
D.C. Journal of Internal Medicine	Players can increase their Medicine skill.	When you visit the Villa clinic, head to the basement to find the Skill Book in a tool cabinet next to a terminal.
Dean’s Electronics	You can increase your character’s Repair Skill.	While visiting the Nellis Air Force Base to recruit the Boomers faction, this can be found on a table inside Loyal’s house.
Duck And Cover!	Increases players explosives skill	While visiting the Boomers in Nellis Air Force Base, look on the shelf inside the leader Pearl’s barracks.
Grognak The Barbarian	These comic books increase the player’s Melee Weapons skill.	To the northeast of the town of Nipton, there is a location known as the Hidden Supply Cave. The comic can be found on one of the metal boxes inside.
Guns And Bullets	the Guns and Bullets Skill Book increases your Guns Skill.	Inside the New Vegas Strip, there is a casino called the Gomorrah. This book can be found In Big Sal’s office in the Zoara Club past a very hard lock.
Lying, Congressional Style	Lying, Congressional Style lets you put extra points into Speech.	The abandoned Cerulean Robotics building is located in the Freeside slums. This Skill Book can be found on the floor next to the conveyor belt.
Nikola Tesla And You	This book permanently increase a player’s Energy Weapons skill.	In the southeast of the town of Nipton, players can find the Old Nuclear Test Site. This book can be found on a table in the shack here.
Pugilism Illustrated	Pugilism Illustrated will let you put additional points into your Unarmed Skill.	Vault 11 is located due west of Boulder City. The book can be found in the northwestern female dorm room, near a fallen dresser.
Tales of A Junktown Jerky Vendor	You can increase your Barter Skills with this book.	Visit the Bison Steve Hotel in the small town of Primm, then head to the gift shop. The Skill Book can be found on the floor behind the counter.
Tumblers Today	players can put additional points into their Lockpick Skill.	Silver Peak Mine can be found to the west of Vault 22. As soon as you enter this building, turn to the right to find this item near some lockers.
Wasteland Survival Guide	you can increase your Survival skill with the Wasteland Survival Guide.	Lone Wolf Radio is an abandoned trailer to the south of Goodsprings. The book can be found right next to the bed inside it.

Big Book Of Science

The Big Book of Science permanently increases a player’s Science Skill in Fallout New Vegas.

• Book 1: In the hills directly southwest of New Vegas, there is a small shack by the name of Brewer’s Beer Bootlegging. There is a hidden cellar in the back of this shack, where this book can be found on a table with the chemistry set.
• Book 2: To the northeast of the town of Novac, players can find the NCR-controlled Camp Forlorn Hope. Players can find this book on a desk in the command center.
• Book 3: During the quest ‘That Lucky Old Sun,’ talk to the NPC Ignacio Rivas and assure him that you are not allied with the NCR and don’t want to make war. Later, diverting HELIOS One’s power to the entire region will reward you with the Skill Book.
• Book 4: When visiting the town of Nipton to the east of the Mojave Outpost, you can head inside the Nipton Town Hall. The book can be found on the desk in the Mayor’s office on the top floor of the building.
• Book 5: To the northwest of the 188 Trading Post, there are the ruins of the REPCONN headquarters. On the ground floor of this facility, there is a hard-locked door. The Skill Book can be found on a shelf inside this room.
• Book 6 (Dead Money): After you complete a handful of quests and finally reach the Sierra Madre Casino, go up to the floor of the executive suite. Inside Vera’s room, you can find this item on a bookshelf.
• Book 7 (Old World Blues): In the northernmost part of the map, there is the Y-0 Research Center. This book can be found at the end of the canyon, near the two ruined trucks.
• Book 8 (Lonesome Road): At the Ashton missile silo, look in the northern part of the wreckage of the level 3 launch deck. The book can be found near a hard-locked safe.

Chinese Army: Special Ops Training Manual

We have the Chinese Army: Special Ops Training Manual, players can permanently increase their Sneak Skill in Fallout New Vegas.

• Book 1: In the starting town of Goodsprings, look for the house east of the school. You can find the item on a bookshelf in the living room.
• Book 2: To the south of the town of Novac lies the irradiated Camp Searchlight. This manual can be found in the Searchlight East Church’s basement, on the floor next to the entrance stairs.
• Book 3: Look for the barracks in the NCR Sharecropper Farms to the south of New Vegas. The book can be found near the south wall of the building, near a stack of papers.
• Book 4: Players can locate Vault 3 to the southwest of Camp McCarran. This book can be found on a shelf in the living quarters.
• Book 5 (Dead Money): When you reach the Puesta Del Sol switching station, the manual can be found in the location’s easternmost room.
• Book 6 (Old World Blues): In the westernmost part of Big MT, players can find the X-13 Research Facility. You can locate this item on the floor of the room that contains the chest piece of the Stealth Suit MK II.
• Book 7 (Old World Blues): Inside the same X-13 Research Facility, this is the reward for completing all stealth tests.
• Book 8 (Lonesome Road): This can be found inside the Sunstone Tower, on a bookshelf on the southeast landing.

D.C. Journal Of Internal Medicine

Players can increase their Medicine skill with a D.C. Journal of Internal Medicine book.

• Book 1: After becoming Idolized by the Apocalypse faction’s Followers, players will receive the key to the Followers Safehouse in the northwest of New Vegas. The journal can be found on a bedside table in the second room.
• Book 2: In the main building of HELIOS One, the Skill Book can be found in the same room that contains the east terminal password.
• Book 3: To the north of the Mojave Outpost, you can find the Mesquite Mountains Crater. There’s only one building here known as Hell’s Motel, and the item can be found inside on the table with the radio.
• Book 4: Enter Ranger Andy’s bungalow in the town of Novac. The journal can be found on the bed directly to the right of the door.
• Book 5 (Dead Money): When you visit the Villa clinic, head to the basement to find the Skill Book in a tool cabinet next to a terminal.
• Book 6 (Lonesome Road): After players exit the Abaddon Cave, they can find the journal in the room that contains the passageway to The Divide.

Dean’s Electronics

You can increase your character’s Repair Skill with the Dean’s Electronics Skill Book.

• Book 1: Sloan is a small settlement to the east of the starting town of Goodsprings. The Skill Book can be found on a shelf in the worker barracks.
• Book 2: While visiting the Nellis Air Force Base to recruit the Boomers faction, this can be found on a table inside Loyal’s house.
• Book 3: To the east of Gibson Scrap Yard, there is a Southern Nevada Wind Farm location. This book can be found on the table in the middle of the shack.
• Book 4 (Dead Money): After starting the Dead Money DLC, players will first visit the Abandoned Brotherhood of Steel bunker. One Skill Book can be found in the room with the vending machine.
• Book 5 (Dead Money): In the south of the Puesta Del Sol switching station map, the book can be found on the ground next to a corpse.
• Book 6 (Lonesome Road): When players reach the Hopeville missile silo bunker, this item can be found inside an easy locked desk in the room with the first missile.

Duck And Cover!

If you’re looking to put extra points into explosives, you need to find some Duck and Cover! Books.

• Book 1: At the southeastern part of the map, you can find the Mojave Outpost. This book can be found below the counter of the bar inside the barracks.
• Book 2: While visiting the Boomers in Nellis Air Force Base, look on the shelf inside the leader Pearl’s barracks.
• Book 3: Directly to the south of Vault 22, players can find Ranger station Foxtrot. A copy of Duck and Cover! can be found on the table inside the tent.
• Book 4: In Sloan’s mining town to the east of Goodsprings, the Skill Book can be located on a shelf inside the worker barracks.
• Book 5 (Dead Money): This book is stuck under the Residential District room bed where you first encounter Dean Domino. You need explosives to blow it out from under the bed; otherwise, it is inaccessible.
• Book 6 (Lonesome Road): To the south of The High Road’s exit, look inside a crate behind some sandbags.

Grognak The Barbarian

These comic books increase the player’s Melee Weapons skill.

• Book 1: When players undertake the quest ‘For Auld Lang Syne’ for Arcade Gannon, they will eventually visit Cannibal Johnson’s cave. The Skill Book can be seen on the mattress by the campfire.
• Book 2: As part of the main quest, you eventually visit the Caesar’s Legion’s home base in Cottonwood Cove. There is an HQ building here, and a copy of Grognak the Barbarian can be found in the office of Aurelius of Phoenix.
• Book 3: To the northeast of the town of Nipton, there is a location known as the Hidden Supply Cave. The comic can be found on one of the metal boxes inside.
• Book 4: Jacobstown is an isolated settlement on the westernmost edge of the Mojave Wasteland. The item can be found on the floor, next to the fridge in the southern bungalow.
• Book 5 (Dead Money): Players can find this Skill Book in the Villa Police Station basement, in the room with the filing cabinets.
• Book 6 (Lonesome Road): Near the Hopeville Missile Base – West Entrance, players can find the Hopeville women’s barracks. At the back end of this building, look for a small table to find the comic underneath a burned book.

Guns And Bullets

We have “Guns & Bullets”. For players who prefer traditional firearms over energy weapons, the Guns and Bullets Skill Book increases your Guns Skill.

• Book 1: Inside the New Vegas Strip, there is a casino called the Gomorrah. This book can be found In Big Sal’s office in the Zoara Club past a very hard lock.
• Book 2: To the northeast of the Mojave Outpost, players can find the Nevada Highway Patrol station. A copy of Guns and Bullets can be found on a table in the first room you enter.
• Book 3: You gain access to Raul’s Shack to the east of New Vegas immediately after recruiting Raul Tejada as a companion. This item can be found on a crate to the left of the entrance.
• Book 4: Vault 34 is located to the southwest of Nellis Air Force Base. Players can find this book in the armory common room, on a small metal table between two sofas.
• Book 5 (Dead Money): This book can be found inside the Sierra Madre Casino, directly behind the abandoned cashier’s desk.
• Book 6 (Lonesome Road): Look for the unmarked Hopeville armory to the southeast of the Hopeville Missile Base Headquarters. The Skill Book can be found under the desk in the northeast corner of the building.

Lying, Congressional Style

Speech is one of the most essential skills in Fallout New Vegas, and Lying, Congressional Style lets you put extra points into it.

• Book 1: You can find Brooks Tumbleweed Ranch to the northwest of New Vegas. There’s a house here that you can enter, and the book is located in a shelf on the top floor.
• Book 2: The abandoned Cerulean Robotics building is located in the Freeside slums. This Skill Book can be found on the floor next to the conveyor belt.
• Book 3: Lucky Jim mine can be found directly north of Ranger station Echo. There’s only one building here, and a copy of Lying, Congressional Style can be seen on the shelf next to the beds.
• Book 4: To the southeast of Goodsprings, players can find the NCR Correctional Facility. Look for this book on a desk on the second floor of the administration building.
• Book 5 (Dead Money): When you enter the Tampico Theatre to find Dean Domino, you’ll have to interact with the holotape projector as part of the main quest. The book can be located on a shelf directly opposite this.
• Book 6 (Lonesome Road): This Skill Book can be found In the Third Street Municipal Building, under the physician’s desk.

Nikola Tesla And You

The Nikola Tesla and You Books permanently increase a player’s Energy Weapons skill in Fallout New Vegas.

• Book 1: The Hidden Valley is located to the east of Goodsprings and is home to the Hidden Valley bunker. On the first floor of this building, look for the white bin in Schuler’s infirmary.
• Book 2: In the southeast of the town of Nipton, players can find the Old Nuclear Test Site. This book can be found on a table in the shack here.
• Book 3: This Skill Book can be found on top of a safe, past a very hard-locked door on the first floor of the abandoned REPCONN headquarters.
• Book 4: A second book can also be found in the REPCONN headquarters, but this time on a second-floor desk.
• Book 5 (Dead Money): In the area directly before the Sierra Madre vault, look for a duffle bag next to a skeleton. The book is inside the bag.
• Book 6 (Lonesome Road): When visiting the Hopeville Missile Base Headquarters, the book can be found in the first room you enter. Search the shelf to your right, underneath a large burned book.

Pugilism Illustrated

If you prefer to fight with your fists, then Pugilism Illustrated will let you put additional points into your Unarmed Skill.

• Book 1: The Nipton Road Reststop can be found to the northeast of the Mojave Outpost. A Pugilism Illustrated book can be seen on the wooden shelf next to the cash register.
• Book 2: To the north of Boulder City is a building known as the Fisherman’s Pride Shack. You can find this book on the bedside table inside the structure.
• Book 3: Go to the presidential suite of The Tops Hotel and Casino inside the New Vegas Strip. A copy of this Fallout New Vegas skill book can be found on a table in the pool room corner.
• Book 4: Vault 11 is located due west of Boulder City. The book can be found in the northwestern female dorm room, near a fallen dresser.
• Book 5 (Dead Money): As soon as the Dead Money DLC starts, look at the ground on the opposite side of the central fountain to find this item.
• Book 6 (Lonesome Road): Search inside the interior office of the Wastewater Treatment Plant to find this book behind a bunch of lockers.

Tales Of A Junktown Jerky Vendor

Learn how to increase your Barter Skill with the Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor books in Fallout New Vegas.

• Book 1: Visit the Bison Steve Hotel in the small town of Primm, then head to the gift shop. The Skill Book can be found on the floor behind the counter.
• Book 2: The Allied Technologies offices can be found to the south of Camp McCarran. You can find a copy of Tales of a Junktown Jerky Vendor on the west side of the building, right in front of a Nuka-Cola vending machine.
• Book 3: Due east from Cannibal Johnson’s cave, players can find a small Cap Counterfeiting Shack structure. You can reach a cellar from inside the shack, and there you can see the book on a suitcase by the bed.
• Book 4: There are multiple different quests in the game that lead you to Vault 22. Once you’re here, go to the pest control level and take the first staircase to your left. The book should be on a long table with a lot of vials.
• Book 5 (Dead Money): Find the building directly to the south of the Salida Del Sol North exit. This book should be on a shelf on the second story.
• Book 6 (Lonesome Road): The Marked Men Guard Outpost is located to the southeast of the Hopeville Missile Base – East Entrance. A copy of this Skill Book can be found in the basement, on a counter next to some human remains.

Tumblers Today

With Tumblers Today, players can put additional points into their Lockpick Skill.

• Book 1: The Bitter Springs recreation area is located to the east of the Cap Counterfeiting Shack. Go inside the office to find the Skill Book on the desk in the room to the left.
• Book 2: To the northwest of Nipton is a cave called The Prospector’s Den that has a building constructed inside of it. In the second room of this building, players can find a copy of Tumblers Today on the floor.
• Book 3: Silver Peak Mine can be found to the west of Vault 22. As soon as you enter this building, turn to the right to find this item near some lockers.
• Book 4: Wolfhorn Ranch is an abandoned farmstead to the northeast of the town of Nipton. Go inside the farmhouse, then look on the ground near the fridge to find a Skill Book copy.
• Book 5 (Dead Money): Look inside the third-floor office within the Sierra Madre Casino, right on top of the tool cabinet.
• Book 6 (Lonesome Road): This item can be found inside a stern locked metal locker near the restrooms of the Hopeville men’s barracks.

Wasteland Survival Guide

To survive in the Mojave Wasteland, you need to increase your Survival skills with the Wasteland Survival Guide. Of all the Fallout New Vegas skill books, these ones are the most scarce.

• Book 1: Lone Wolf Radio is an abandoned trailer to the south of Goodsprings. The book can be found right next to the bed inside it.
• Book 2: To the southeast of Wolfhorn ranch, players can locate the Matthews Animal Husbandry Farm. There are two different barns here, but the Skill Book can be found on the top floor of the one in the north.
• Book 3: The Mesquite Mountains campsite can be found the north of the Mojave Outpost, and one of the two tents here contains a copy of the Wasteland Survival Guide Fallout New Vegas skill book.
• Book 4: Due east of Lake Las Vegas, you should be able to find a location known as the Scavenger Platform. This book can be found in the northernmost shack in this area, under a collapsed shelf.
• Book 5 (Lonesome Road): A Wasteland Survival Guide book can be found in the Waste Disposal Station, directly in the middle of a pile of radioactive barrels.

This has been our guide on finding each and every Fallout New Vegas Skill Book in both the base game and the DLCs.