Does anyone here collect more than one copy of a book?

[Bill]

One of the things I look forward to every week is a visit to Half Price Book's clearance section. I've managed to pick up a heck of a lot of essential fantasy and sci fi. But I was especially happy to find the versions of fantasy and sci fi books that I fell in love with long, long ago. (See covers below) But now when I see a copy of one of these books for a dollar or so, I pick it up. Especially the early 70s LOTR books (God I love those white covers. Brings back such memories). I also buy every cheap copy of the 80s Hildebrandt LOTR books, first release of the Silmarillion, original Thomas Covenant books, Belgariad/Mallorean series, reddish-orange 80s Dune books, and now, though not old, the Robert Jordan books.

Anyone else do this?

[Kevin]

Yes, I have more than 20 copies of book one through nine of the Wheel of Times along with Ender's Game. Those two I have more than any other books. When I see a copy under a dollar I go grap it no matter what.

[Aloha]

I do something different. I usually collect more than 1 format of the same book. For example, I usually get an audio and an eBook of the same book. If I really like a book, I will also buy a hardback to grace my shelf.

[Bill]

Kevin, buying the Whell of Time books has made me want to read them again. However, I only made it to halfway through The Fires of Heaven. I loved the early books, but FOH just started to drag. And from many reviews of the rest of the series, I hear it just gets worse. But I think I'm ready to start from the beginning and just be patient. And I'm especially eager to get to the ones Brian Sanderson completed, since I just adored his The Way of Kings.

[terpkristin]

Aloha wrote: "I do something different. I usually collect more than 1 format of the same book. For example, I usually get an audio and an eBook of the same book. If I really like a book, I will also buy a hardback to grace my shelf.

Me too! Sometimes I also buy a paperback version to loan out. I've done this with the Wheel of Time books and the A Song of Ice and Fire books.

[Bill]

I've already given away a full set each of the First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant and the Belgariad.

[Aloha]

What's important to me is that I don't lose a connection with a book I'm reading. Getting a book in both eBook and unabridged audio format allows me to continue reading no matter how busy I get.

terpkristin wrote: "Aloha wrote: "I do something different. I usually collect more than 1 format of the same book. For example, I usually get an audio and an eBook of the same book. If I really like a book, I will als..."

[terpkristin]

Aloha wrote: "What's important to me is that I don't lose a connection with a book I'm reading. Getting a book in both eBook and unabridged audio format allows me to continue reading no matter how busy I get.

..."

Exactly! I do the same thing. People roll their eyes when I admit it, glad others do, too!

[Charles]

I'll sometimes buy an extra copy, or if it's a series/books by the same author, try to get the same version as much as possible.

Or sometimes I'll own both the eBook and the print copy (in the case of Redemption in Indigo by Karen Lord or The Weird edited by Ann & Jeff VanderMeer).

But I probably won't go overboard and own ten copies of the same book :)

It'll be interesting though for some texts, such as Neil Gaiman's American Gods, which now has an author's preferred text version :)

[Anne]

Only accidentally. And very occasionally I would buy the same book in two languages (original and German translation). But I have enough books as it is and don't need to push it even further.

[Tim]

Not as a general thing, but I do have a few 'collectable' editions ( a cloth bound slipcase edition of the Narnia books, a very old.18th century leather bound set of Shakespeare plays, the original hardback Pooh books I had as a kid, illustrated edition of Dune., signed first editions of all the Discworld books...)

[Kate]

I have two copies of The Bone Key: The Necromantic Mysteries of Kyle Murchison Booth because the second edition came with an new introduction and story notes.



But other than that I only double up with a copy of the audiobook.

[Jonathon]

I generally don't keep more than one copy of a book at any given time. That said, some books I'll read until they die and then go out and get new copies, for example my Lord of the Rings all-in-one. That literally fell apart on me one day, so I had to buy new copies of that.

But normally, if I have more than one copy of anything it's either where I've been given one as a gift or if I've picked up a collection of books and one I already owned has been in there. Sometimes I'll have a physical hard copy and an eBook version (see: The Hunger Games & A Song of Ice and Fire) mostly so that I can continue reading uninterrupted at home or on the way to/from work.

[Andy]

Subterranean Press releases special editions of a lot of great sci fi and fantasy authors. I will collect them if I really love the author. They are working on book five of the Dresden Files and I have grabbed them all so far.

Otherwise I tend to stick to one copy. It takes a lot to get me to buy a book these days, the local library is fantastic.

[Agatha]

Jonathon Dez-la-lour said: "Sometimes I'll have a physical hard copy and an eBook version (see: The Hunger Games & A Song of Ice and Fire) mostly so that I can continue reading uninterrupted at home or on the way to/from work."

I should probably invest in a new e-reader. ASOIF books are very bulky and don't fit into my bag (I generally read paperbacks on my way to classes etc).

I have two different editions of LoTR and several books I own in different languages (I have 3 versions of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, including this particular one and two translations).

I only get extra copies if they're really special (I can never resist a first edition or a signed copy) or if they're among my personal favourites.

[Bill]

FertileSpade wrote: "Great thread Bill! I get that same sense of nostalgia for some of the older copies myself (Tolkien esp). Also, seems to me that many of the older sci-fi/fantasy books have better cover art (Frazett..."

Oooh. Watership down. One of my earliest experiences of reading a paperback, adult book, with tinges of fantasy. Up to that point, it was usually hardcover books from the library, of either classics like Huck Finn or Tarzan, or typical youth lit like
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler. But Watership Down was something different and special. It was something my Grandmother and Uncle loved. It was long with small text. And I just loved it. And now I have another favored edition/cover I need to look out for, which I've put below.

[TheADHDreader]

I have a couple of version of Peter Pan. I tend to do it only for my favorite books, like the ones from Tolkien, Cornelia Funke, Walter Moers, Lewis Carroll, the abarat series from Clive Barker etc etc.

[Jacy]

I have a couple books with more than one copy, usually it's a paperback that I've read so much that it's falling apart and then I go get the hard cover. One such book is the Witch of Blackbird Pond, I've owned the paperback since I was in 4th grade and when I went away to college, pages started falling out so I replaced it with the current hardcover at the time. I'll also buy multiple copies for my kids, as to stop the "I was read that fights".

[AndrewP]

Before I installed EverNote on all my devices I regularly bought duplicate copies, simply because I could never remember if I already had them or not. Now I always have my wanted list ready at hand.

A couple of times I have bought the audio book of something I know I already have just because I know I will get to that faster than I might the physical book.

Worst case I have is with Terry Goodkinds Temple of the Winds. I have the hardback (1st edition bargain book), paperback (purchased in error) and audio book on CD (only $7 in Borders closing week.) Just for the record, I listened to the audio book soon after I purchased it.

[Leesa]

I sometimes will buy the physical book and the audiobook if I really like the author and think I'll want the physical book to reference in the future.

[Skaw]

I have to admit, if I see a pristine copy of a favorite book at a good price, I have a hard time resisting. Usually I try to restrain myself though and just go with one format. This can result in re-buying. For instance I was buying the Dresden files since they first came out in paperback. When they started re-issuing them in hardbacks with lovely, delicious new cover art, I had to get them all. I gave away my paperbacks, however, to justify this bit of excess.
If I find a particular edition I like, I may replace my current copy. I bought Robin McKinley's re-issued books (The Blue Sword, etc) due to their lovely match-y-ness, though I kept the original paperback on The Blue Sword cause I loved the cover. I am also putting off getting Graceling and Fire, because I want the British editions - same with The Wee Free Men.

[James]

Sometimes I used to buy a hardcover that I did not read, along with a paperback copy for the train ride and usual abuse.... This was when I used to live in Sydney and commuted daily. I drive to work now and find that my reading time is greatly reduced.

[Sara]

I have a tendency to get multiple copies. I work at a bookstore so I'll frequently end up with a galley copy, then get the finished copy when that comes out. I also listen to audiobooks and will usually get a hardcopy if I liked something. Then there are out of print books. If it's something I like I'll pick up a copy whenever I find one so that I've got some to loan out.

[Kellen]

Oooh good topic. I have a few duplicates myself. Off the top of my head?


Variour LotR copies
Kushiel's Dart - Jacqueline Carey - have given a couple away to get folks hooked
Sins of the Father - Jane Jensen (Gabriel Knight)
Variations on Robin Hood

Anyway, I think that's at least a chunk... I've gotten better about giving books away and ebooks have saved me on bookshelves!

[Linguana]

Micael wrote: "I have a couple of version of Peter Pan."

Nice to know I'm not the only one. I must have about 20 editions of Peter Pan by now. :)
Some are beautifully illustrated, one is in French, some are just nice, very small copies that fit into a jeans pocket... I love that story and how much darker it is than most people expect (Disney's fault, I suppose)



My favourites are the illustrated one by Trina Schart Hyman and of course the amazing Annotated Peter Pan.

If I read a book as an ebook first and like it a lot, I'll run and get me a paper copy as well (last time that happened with Mechanique: A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti by Genevieve Valentine). But that's not really the same thing as collecting. So it's just Peter Pan for me.

P.S.: Great idea for a thread topic. I love seeing what books you guys keep buying. ;)

[Micah]

It's The Eye of the World for me. I have had 5 or 6 different copies of the very large paperback. I loan it out when somebody is interested in reading it and never do expect it back. I am currently on the lookout for a nice hardback copy so I can keep that one on my shelf and just have it look nice.

I may also start doing this with A Game of Thrones as this is the only other series to catch my attention in the same way as Jordan's did so long ago.

[Kevin]

Bill wrote: "FertileSpade wrote: "Great thread Bill! I get that same sense of nostalgia for some of the older copies myself (Tolkien esp). Also, seems to me that many of the older sci-fi/fantasy books have bett..."

I actually have a copy of the first edition hardcover cover. I found it at a local yard sale.

[Kevin]

Bill wrote: "Kevin, buying the Whell of Time books has made me want to read them again. However, I only made it to halfway through The Fires of Heaven. I loved the early books, but FOH just started to drag. And..."

I just love Fires of Heaven. I love the pre 2003 editions when the spine was just so huge or the pre 1997 editions of Lord of Chaos, which was also huge. I'm a fan of huge looking books.

[Stephen]

I started to collect John Wyndham books after reading "day of the triffids" i loved the book and was curious about other novels he had written. I started with the paper backs, but now my collection is all hardback. I always browse junk shops, charity shops and old book stores looking for either 1st editions or better quality copies than I currently have. As I replace a copy I donate the old version back to charity shops, so it's an ongoing cycle.

[Kev]

I have several copies (three, I think) of the Increasingly Inaccurately Named Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. (The black bound one with the gold-colored edging on the pages and the built-in cloth bookmark that has the original trilogy, plus the extra book(s) not including Mostly Harmless).

I have extra copies because my wife has just about read my first one to death. I got the other two from PaperBackSwap to have on hand in-case the first one really does fall apart. (My wife has read many a book to pieces.)

I think there's another book or two that I have a couple of copies of because I really liked the book, or had planned on sharing a copy - but I can't recall what they are offhand.


We also have several Bibles in our house, but I don't think that's uncommon for a Christian household.

[kvon]

I've sometimes deliberately bought a second used copy for a really neat (usually UK) cover. I've also accidentally bought extra copies--somewhat less often now that I can access my librarything account on my phone. I try to stick to the rule not to buy new copies of books I've already read, even if they are really pretty.

[Neil]

I have 2 copies of LoTR as my original copy i got as a child was getting too battered to read so got a new copy when the films came out.

I've got 2 copies of some classics like Dracula, Alice in Wonderland and few a others where i bought the paperbacks a few years ago. I then got a Kindle so downloaded them and read the ebooks on it instead.

I also recently got a complete set of hardback Dickens novels and have some in ebook format for reading so as not to damage them.

[Kevin]

I just got more copies of Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers and The Return of the King, along with more copies of The Wheel of Time, book 3-5.

[Will]

I have more than one copy of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I accidentally bought a 2nd copy of The Name of the Wind because I forgot that I bought the 1st one.

[Bill]

Kevin wrote: "Yes, I have more than 20 copies of book one through nine of the Wheel of Times along with Ender's Game. Those two I have more than any other books. When I see a copy under a dollar I go grap it no ..."

I'd love to see a picture of all those WOT books. I've started to re-read the series (technically, listening to it), and it's inspired me to buy more WOT copies. Though only when they're a dollar. Don't think I'll every shoot for 20 copies each. But seeing three huge FOH's next to each other makes me happy.

[Andrew]

If I see a used copy of one of my favourites I will pick it up to hand out to friends.

I do have multiple copies of the original DragonLance trilogy and Lord of the Rings.

[Chantell]

Interestingly enough, I also have several editions of the LOTR novels (all of them- Hobbit, Fellowship, Two Towers, etc). XD And two editions of Memoirs of a Geisha, but that book struck such a fancy with me. To this day I am still goo-goo-eyed over the ginormous creepy age gap romance.