Skill Books are a great way to increase your many skills in Stardew Valley, and unlock powers you didn’t have before. There are multiple Skills Books you can find scattered throughout the game, but it can be tough to track them all down.
Many of these Skill Books provide experience points with one of the five skills, while others give you distinct powers, such as the ability to run through faster or tell the price of your items. They all have a use in Stardew Valley, and knowing where to find and use them is important to make your life easier as you expand your farm.
Where to get Skill Books in Stardew Valley
You can find Skill Books by specific with specific characters in Stardew Valley. The Bookseller that wanders into Pelican Town twice a month has a few for sale, but there are other vendors in your playthrough that also possess Skill Books. For example, the Dwarf who lives in The Mines sells the Dwarvish Safety Manual.
Other Skill Books can be earned by completing unique competitions, like SquidFest, or obtained from Mystery Boxes. When you have one of these unique Skill Books, equip it and have your character read it to unlock the skill. If one of these books deals with one of the five skills in Stardew Valley, you receive experience points for that skill, bringing you one step closer to getting Mastery Points.
All Skill Books and how to get them in Stardew Valley
Here’s a full breakdown of every Skill Book you can find in Stardew Valley, what they do, and how you can get them.
| Skill Book Name | Skill Book Rewards | How to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Animal Catalogue | You can now use Marnie’s vendor when she’s not at the shop. | You can buy this from Marnie for 5,000 Gold. |
| Bait and Bobber | You gain Fishing experience. | You can buy this from the Bookseller for 5,000 Gold, or find it in Ancient Spots, Mystery Boxes, or Treasure Chests. |
| Book of Mysteries | You have a higher chance of finding Mystery Boxes. | You can find this inside Golden Mystery Boxes. |
| Book of Stars | All skills gain experience points. | You can buy this from the Bookseller for 15,000 Gold or receive it from the Raccoons during the Big Tree quest. |
| Combat Quarterly | You gain Combat experience. | You can buy this from the Bookseller for 5,000 Gold or find it in Treasure Chests, or Golden Mystery Boxes. |
| Dwarvish Safety Manual | Bombs do 25 percent less damage to you. | You can buy this from the Dwarf for 4,000 Gold. |
| Friendship 101 | You gain friendship with people faster. | You can buy this from the Bookseller for 20,000 Gold, or receive this from Lewis’ prize machine. |
| Horse: The Book | You gallop faster when riding a horse. | You can buy this from the Bookseller for 25,000 Gold. |
| Jack Be Nimble, Jack Be Thick | You get a plus one to your defense. | You can buy this from the Bookseller for 20,000 Gold or get it from an Artifact Spot. |
| Jewels of the Sea | Fishing treasure chests now have a chance to give you roe. | You can find this inside a Treasure Chest when fishing. |
| Mapping Cave Systems | You have a 50 percent discount on Marlons’ Item Retrieval service. | You can find this in the back of the Adventurer’s Guild chest. |
| Mining Monthly | You gain Mining experience. | You can buy this from the Bookseller for 8,000 Gold or find it inside a Golden Mystery Box. |
| Monster Compendium | Monster have a chance to drop double their loot. | This has the chance to drop from defeating Monsters. |
| Ol’ Slitherlegs | You now run faster in grass and crops. | You can buy this from the Bookseller for 25,000 Gold. |
| Price Catalogue | You can see the value of your items. | You can buy this from the Bookseller for 3,000 Gold. |
| Queen of Sauce Cookbook | Learn a Queen of Sauce recipe you don’t know. | You can buy this from the Bookseller for 10,000 Gold. |
| Raccoon Journal | Weeds have a higher chance to give you Mixed Seeds. | You can get this during the Raccoon’s Big Tree questline. |
| Stardew Valley Almanac | You get Farming experience. | You can buy this from the Bookseller for 10,000 Gold or win it as from Lewis’ prize machine. |
| The Alleway Buffet | You have a better chance of getting items from trash cans. | You can get this from the gold trash can hidden between Jojo Mart and the Blacksmith’s home. |
| The Art O’ Crabbing | Crab pots now have a 25 percent chance to yield double their catch. | You win this during the first day for SquidFest. |
| The Diamond Hunter | Every stone has a chance to drop a diamond when you mine. | You can buy this from the Dwarf for 10 Diamonds. |
| Treasure Appraisal Guide | You get better prices when selling artifacts. | You can get this from opening Mystery Boxes or from Artifact Troves. |
| Way of the Wind pt. one | You run faster. | You can buy this from the Bookseller for 15,000 Gold. |
| Way of the Wind pt. two | You run faster. | You can get this from the Bookseller after you grab part one for 35,000 Gold. |
| Woodcutter’s Weekly | You gain Foraging experience. | You can buy this from the Bookseller, or it can appear in the Traveling Merchant’s Vendor, during the Desert Festival, or from cutting down trees. |
| Woody’s Secret | Trees have a five percent chance of yielding double wood. | You can get this by cutting down trees. |
