There are 4 Barter skill books (referred to as “Tales Of A Junktown Jerky Vendor” in-game) in the base game of Fallout New Vegas (in Vault 22, the Bison Steve hotel in Primm, in the Allied Technologies Offices, and in the Cap Counterfeiting Shack) and 2 in the game’s DLCs: One in Lonesome Road (at the Marked Men Guard Outpost) and one in Dead Money (in Salida del Sol). There’s also a way to craft one more skill book in the Old World Blues DLC. In this guide, I’ll go over how to get every single one of those books in detail.
Quick tips before you set off to get the books:
- Get the Comprehension perk. The Comprehension perk will increase the number of skill points gained from each book. If you are planning on hunting down all of the skill books, this perk is a must-have.
- Leaving the Sierra Madre will make the book in the Dead Money DLC unobtainable. Due to a design decision, the Sierra Madre cannot be re-entered after leaving it, so make sure you grab the book before you go.
Base Game
Allied Technologies Offices
Make your way to the Allied Technologies Offices, located south of Camp McCarran.
Be warned that you are very likely to encounter Fiends outside the offices, and Giant Gire Ants inside.
Once there, find a large double door and use it to get inside.
Once inside, you’ll see a door directly opposite to you. Go through it.
Down the corridor to your left, you’ll see another door, which will lead you to the room with the book.
Inside this room, you’ll see a set of Nuka Cola machines to your left. Approach them.
The book is lying on the ground in front of the machine closer to the corner. It might be hard to see at first, as it is surrounded by trash.
Bison Steve Hotel
Travel to Primm, a small town right down the road south of Goodsprings.
From the fast travel point, you’ll be looking directly at the entrance to the Bison Steve. Approach the hotel and enter through the front door.
Be warned that there will be some low-level bandits inside the hotel.
Once inside, you’ll see a door opposite to you. Go through.
Look to the right. You’ll see a large hallway. Take the first door on the left side of the hallway.
You’ll enter a sort of gift shop. There will be counter on your left. Go behind it.
You’ll see a safe in the floor. The book is lying on it. Just like the book in the Allied Technologies offices, it might be hard to see at first, as it is surrounded by trash.
Cap Counterfeiting Shack
The Cap Counterfeiting Shack is located northeast of Camp Golf.
Be warned while coming here, as there are Lakelurks everywhere on the shore of the lake, and the location itself is often guarded by Cazadores.
Once you find the shack, go inside using the door on the northern side of the building.
Once inside, look to the left. You’ll see a wooden entrance to the basement. Go there.
Go down the stairs.
Opposite the stairs an entryway to a sort of bedroom, where the book can be found sitting on a suitcase.
Vault 22
Get to Vault 22, an overgrown Vault located west of Westside.
Be on the lookout for enemies such as giant mantises and Spore Carriers hiding in the overgrowth.
It may be a bit difficult to find the entrance at first, as it is overgrown by plant life. Keep a lookout for warning signs and follow them.
Once you go there, walk straight through a door opposite the Vault’s entrance.
Keep going forward down a flight of stairs.
Now, depending on if you have a Repair skill of 50 or not, you’ll have to choose how to continue.
If you have a Repair skill of 50, you can simply keep going forward and reach the elevator, which you’ll be able to repair by interacting with the door.
Once the elevator is fixed, go down to the Pest Control level.
If you don’t have a high enough Repair skill, you can take the stairs to the left. You’ll have to go all the way to the lowest floor, which will require you to go through most of the Vault, for this reason using the elevator is the recommended approach.
Once in the pest control level, take the first stairway to the left of the elevator exit.
Go all the way up both flights of stairs.
At the top of the stairs, you’ll see an entrance to a lab to the right. Enter.
There is a chemistry set to the left of the door. The book is to the right next to it.
Dead Money
Go to Salida del Sol, east of the fountain where you appear at the start of the DLC.
Here, watch out for the Ghost People that patrol the area. They are nearly impossible to kill and can dish out a lot of damage. Try to sneak or run past them whenever possible.
Inside Salida del Sol, head straight towards a fountain, then turn right and go down the street there.
Follow the street to another crossroads. Look for a blue-glowing vending machine and go in that direction.
After a short walk, you’ll find yourself at another crossroads. There, go through the Cloud-covered path to the left. Follow it until you see another vending machine’s glow.
By the vending machine, you’ll see a staircase leading up to an illuminated door. Go up the staircase, but do not enter the house.
Turn around, jump over the table, and walk to the balcony opposite the door. The balcony will lead you to a small room through a hole in the wall.
There will be a set of shelves on the left as you enter. The book is sitting on one of the shelves below a terminal.
Lonesome Road
The Lonesome Road book is hidden in a basement beneath the Marked Men Guard Outpost, which is located east of the Hopeville Missile Silo Bunker. You’ll pass by this location during the main quest.
Watch out for Marked Men in this location.
Once you get there, look for a passage between a two-story brick building and a pile of rubble with a red Ulysses’s mark on it and go there.
You’ll find an entrance to a basement located between a half-buried dumpster and a pile of tires. Go there.
Go down the flight of stairs
Go to the corner of the room in front of you and to the right.
The book is hidden behind a pile of chopped-up organs.
Old World Blues
The recipe for this book is found at the Signal Hills Transmitter, located to the north of the Sink.
It’s a small building with a radio tower outside. The entrance is marked by a blue Ulysses mark. Head inside.
The crafting recipe is located below a shelving unit to the right of the entrance.
To craft the actual book, you’ll need 25 Pre-War books (which can easily be scavenged from pre-war houses), 2 bottles of Wonderglue (which can bought from merchants like Old Lady Gibson or can be scavenged from industrial areas like the workshop in Novac).
Once you have the required materials, go to a workbench and craft the book. You don’t need any skills or perks to craft it.
