I was suprised to find myself in the preface for the latest edition!  By Bill Phillips



Here was my actual review on amazon.com:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for an intro to locksmithing and professional use, May 2, 2000
By  Alan T. Peto (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Complete Book of Locks and Locksmithing (Paperback)
This is a great 'catch-all' book about locksmithing. Although it looks like it is designed for beginners, it still has invaluable information on a variety of locks, etc so it will remain in your shop for years to come. In fact, I used it for servicing an Ilco-Unican 1000 unit (as it had detailed information on changing the combination for example).

It covers everything from the history of locks (interesting in it's own fact) and even has a practice test for the CRL examination (what you will want to get if you are wanting to be a pro in the field).

The book is also invaluable to homeowners, retail sales clerks and anyone who wants to know more about locks, safes, and more! If you are looking into security for your home, then this would give you a good understanding of why a certain lock system is better than another for example.

Either way you will not be disappointed in this book. For professionals some parts may be old story but it still has plenty of reference to locks you may not encounter for a while!