Know Like A Book Meaning

(transitive, idiomatic) To have an extensive and penetrating understanding of (something or someone).

Example: 1851, T. S. Arthur, "That John Mason" in Off-Hand Sketches:
  "He's a bad man, that John Mason, and my advice to you and to every one, is to keep clear of him. I know him like a book."
1939 June 21, "Slayer Still Free in Woods," Leader Post (Saskatchewan, Canada), p. 9 (retrieved 18 Nov 2013):
  "Olson can hide out around here until the snow flies if he wants to. He knows these woods—every steam and lake—like a book."
1998 March 22, Dave Anderson, "College Basketball: When Sherman White Threw It All Away," New York Times (retrieved 18 Nov 2013):
  "I played with the guy seven days a week; I knew him like a book."
2010, Bill Ratcliffe, Liz, ISBN 9781449058180, p. 24 (Google preview):
  "Around here I know the shoreline like a book."