Where are the ebooks for the Doctorate achievement? Is it possible to miss one?

Solution 1:

You have to get all of the eBooks in a single walk through. Missing out on any of them at any particular stage will make you ineligible for the achievement.

Source:

http://segmentnext.com/2011/08/23/deus-ex-human-revolution-unique-xp-books-location-guide/

Doctorate is one of the hardest achievements in Deus Ex: Human Revolution. You know why ? because it’s a collectible achievement and requires you to collect 29 unique XP books that are scattered throughout the cities you will visit in Deus Ex: Human Revolution and you need to collect all these books in a single playthrough.

Sarif HQ

XP E-Book #1 Location. Look for this Unique XP Book on Pritchard’s desk in his office.

XP E-Book #2 Location. Search Office 25 that belongs to Mika Pine on the second floor, it is on the same floor as Pritchard’s office. Again, it can be found on office desk. Hack the door or use the code 4145 to get in.

XP E-Book #3 Location. Look for it in office 27, it is right next to office 25. You can either hack to get in or use the vent from the neighboring office.

Sarif Manufacturing

There are two ebook that you can grab here and you have to grab them before entering the aircraft. Make sure you rescue all the hostages and then speak to the women ‘Josie Thorpe’ and her husband. (Women held by Zeke) Her husband will give you this quest to retrieve these two ebooks.

XP E-Book #4 Location. You will encounter an automated turret in the hall. Go to the room at the end of this hall and you should find in under cardboard boxes.

XP E-Book #5 Location. It is lying on the desk in the left corner of the room in which encounter Zeke. You should get it before you encounter Zeke.

Detroit City (First Visit)

There are total 6 ebooks that you can find in Detroit and you can find them in any order.

XP E-Book #6 Location. Look for it on the dresser in Jensen’s room, by his bed.

XP E-Book #7 Location. In the Detroit City Police Station morgue, look for it on the coroner’s desk.

XP E-Book #8 Location. It is on the desk of the weapon dealer – Seurat. You can find this XP book on the desk by his bed. You will have to break into his apartment using a Window.

XP E-Book #9 Location. First go to the ‘Downtown Apartments’ area. You should enter it through a locked gate which you can open by entering ’0002′ pass code. On the second floor, there is a level 5 locked door which you can either hack or enter code 2356 to enter. Inside it is another level 2 door which you can hack or enter code 8221 to enter. You will find XP book is lying by the desk, once you are inside.

XP E-Book #10 Location. Take ‘One Good Turn Deserves Another’ side quest and enter Greg Thorpe’s apartment. Look for the XP Book on cabinet next to his bed.

XP E-Book #11 Location. Look for this XP Book on a barrel inside Derelict Row interior area.

FEMA Camp

XP E-Book #12 Location. Head south from the detention block in the FEMA Camp. You should find a locked room past the canteen on floor 4. Ebook is lying on the desk inside.

Shanghai City

XP E-Book #13 Location. Look for this XP Book inside The Hive in Bobby Bao’s office which is on the first floor. It’s a restricted area so you will need to use all your stealth to reach there.

XP E-Book #14 Location. Another XP E-book that you can find in The Hive. This time you will need to search Tong’s office that is located in the basement. To get inside, you will need to persuade Tong at the club bar. Make sure you save the game here since it may require multiple attempts.

XP E-Book #15 Location. Before you enter into Van Bruggen’s office, take a left of the main entrance and you will come across a locked room. You can hack this room to reach a unique XP E-book inside that is lying on the kitchen counter. There are two guards on duty here and the room is just behind them.

XP E-Book #16 Location. For this XP Book, you need to go to Youzhao District. Go to the Downtown Apartments, climb up the rooftop using the ladders. You will see a rooftop opening, get inside the building on the second floor to the locked room with an NPC working on his computer desk. The ebook is on his computer desk.

XP E-Book #17 Location. From the rooftops of Downtown Apartments, head north into the apartment. There is a women looking over the walkaway, the apartment is beyond where she stands. As you enter this locked apartment, you will notice this XP Book.

XP E-Book #18 Location. Finally, search the Alice Gardens Pods area for XP Book. Go to the second floor, and look for the pod number 143. The ebook is sitting tight on it.

Lower Tai Yong Medical

XP E-Book #19 Location. Take yourself to the highest level of the Pangu and look for this ebook just before you enter into the elevator. You should notice a vent up on the wall – stack the boxes nearby to reach the vent and you should find this ebook next to to a dead body. He died reading, YEAH!

Upper Tai Yong Medical

XP E-Book #20 Location. Once you are in the upper area (TOP), find ‘Lee Geng Memorial Laboratory’. You will find the XP book on a low cabinet shelf that is lying in the middle of the room.

XP E-Book #21 Location. From Hangar, head to the southwest corner of the security room before you make your escape. This XP book is lying on a desk inside that room. So make sure you get it before you run away.

Picus

XP E-Book #22 Location. You will find this XP Book as you escape using the elevator. Take the vent next to hand sculpture and drop down to head into the room in the corner. There is a desk inside that room and the book is lying over it begging you to get her.

XP E-Book #23 Location. Before heading down the basement, enter the side room there. You will find this XP Book inside. It’s second floor and you can easily spot the book as you enter the room.

Harvester Hideout

XP E-Book #24 Location. To get this XP Book, you need to enter the lowest level of the Harvester Hideout and enter the autopsy room. It’s on a desk.

Detroit (Second Visit)

XP E-Book #25 Location. Go to the backstage of the Convention Center. You will find the security guards watching TV which makes it easy for you to sneak past them and retrieve this ebook lying in the corner of this room.

XP E-Book #26 Location. When you confront Sandoval, Search his desk for this XP Book.

XP E-Book #27 Location. Go to the LIMB Clinic and go the section of clinic where Augmentations are performed. The XP book is lying on a stand. Get it!

Omega Ranch

XP E-Book #28 Location. Second floor, cold storage room. Look for this XP Book next to the elevator.

XP E-Book #29 Location. Once you have defeated Namir, Hack her safe to get the last ebook.

Read more: http://segmentnext.com/2011/08/23/deus-ex-human-revolution-unique-xp-books-location-guide/#ixzz1Xg09Yoyu

Solution 2:

Yes it is possible to miss some. While some of them are located in area's you'll visit more than once, many are located in places you'll never be able to visit again.

One of the most prominent examples is the one when you're climbing through the Pangu on your way to Tai Yong Medical, you're required to have the Icarus Landing system by the time you get there or you won't be able to read the ebook (the fall will kill you).

It's best to look up the locations of all the books and make a new playthrough on the easiest difficulty purely with the intent to find all of the ebooks required for the achievement if you're going for it.