"Recently acquired a book you already have?" Topic

Recently, meaning within the last year. I suspect I have an Osprey that I purchased second hand, but cannot confirm as yet, as I haven't been out to the garage to sort out what I already have. The other one is by Archibald Forbes, in that case I can claim it was in a different media, I already had it in electronic format.

I have bought a few of books that I already had. Only one time was it not part of a larger collection of books that I bought for a fixed price. That was a book that was in the new section about a subject that I enjoy reading about but rarely find books on. I snapped it up and didn't even really look at it because I was there to buy something else anyway and was in a hurry. The cover was completely different and it was in a different size and so forth but it was just a republication of another book that I had. I realized it soon after I got to my destination and returned it.

The wife just picked up the Pacific war by Bywater for me for Christmas. I already had it.

It happens occasionally, last year I picked up at least 2 novels that I already have – Cornwell's "The Lords of the North" (already had it in h/b) & Saylor's "The Triumph of Caesar".
What's worse is when a novel gets rebadged with a new title; I know that I have a few duplicate sci-fi novels with that problem.

"Recently acquired a book you already have?"

No. Why on earth would I do that?

Not in the last year, but yes, I do occasionally buy a book I already have.

I just ordered a copy of Warhammer Fantasy Battles 5th edition ("Herohammer") because my original copy is back in Minnesota. Does that count?

I did that a few years ago with The Dragon and the George. I hadn't remembered reading it and knew that I had wanted to, and spotted it in a used bookstore. I got started on it, stopped a bit of the ways in, thinking, "Hang on… this is familiar…" and searched in my old books. There it was, same edition.

I also recently added a new book to a series I had, left it in an odd place, and picked up the previous book, thinking it was the new one. Again, I got into the first two chapters, thought, "Hang on…" and went searching and found the new book. But I needed to re-read the old one, as I had gotten muddled on what had happened to lead into the new book.

Not on purpose.

I did it by accident with a couple Ospreys.
The interiors of the books are the same but the covers are different. Annoying.

I have received gifts of books I already have.
They generally get passed on to someone else.

Yup.
The Keep by F Paul Wilson and
Star Wars:Galaxy of Fear:Eaten Alive (kids book and I don't remember the author)

A Napoleonic title but they are in my outbuilding and don't remember which without seeing them. It had different cover, and title maybe.

Accidently, once or twice.

Have done this 2x

I recently sorted and culled my books for donation to a local charity. I found 5 duplicates and one triplicate (books on the Templars,with 3 different covers). No big deal as most had been bought from the bargain shelf at local bookstore for less than $10.00 USD

I do it. Either I have worn out the previous version ala my 7 VnB 1st edition rulebooks or I simply can't find my current copy and I REALLY need it. My buddy Cincinnatus knows I do that semi-regularly.

Thanks,

John

I did it the other day. I got a Poul Anderson that I had already read.

I tried to do that with John Ringo's Queen of Wands in HB, but the local shop had run out of copies & had forgotten that I had already bought it there, tried Amazon, then found my copy on the 'to read' pile & was able to cancel the Amazon order in time.

Have done it several times with DVD's.

Yes, I have done that. I also buy books which my wife has (the curse of Kindle) and re-buy books I used to have but sold and now regret selling.

It took me ages to rebuild my set of 'Tank Battles in Miniature'.

The record for numbers of copies of the same book in our house is five, Lord of the Rings. Mine and my wifes dog eared copies from the early 1970s, a newer and less knackered version and both the girls copies. There also multiple copies of the various Harry Potter tomes.

Maybe in the last 30 plus years two or three times. My ACW book library is over 500 books and ancients and Napoleonics about 1/2 that. It is rare that I do not check my access database when I see a new title or good deal on TMP or other hobby sites.

VR
James Mattes

Just recently I picked up "The Coming of the Terrans" by Leigh Brackett at a used book shop. Turns out I had it already but with a much different cover; the second one is a 1950s vintage paperback, the first is a 1960s vintage with a real hippie cover. I like the 1950s more, so it'll stay.

I also have a couple of duplicates of books in the Horseclans series, the problem there is they're so rare to find in used book stores that I default to buying whatever's available and sorting them out later. Now that my collection is getting bigger, I'll need to stick a list in my pocket, it helped with my Burroughs collection.

What worries me is that a couple of years ago I had an uncle pass away, and while cleaning out the disaster of a house we regularly found two copies of books, usually both apparently unread. So now whenever I realize I've just duplicated something, I worry that I'm pulling an "Uncle Jack" and it's the first sign of craziness.