In 1976 National Iranian Radio and Television sponsored a Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition of 460 Iranian locks. This publication, which accompanied the exhibition, contains a short survey of locks and locksmiths in traditional Iranian culture (including non-security uses), explanations of various types of lock mechanisms (barbed spring, bent spring, helical spring, shackle spring, etc.), and a catalogue of the 460 locks in the form of an illustrated essay on the evolution of lock types in Iran. -- AATA