Polling: how many times have you bought an awesome book...and realized you already own it?

[Ginevra]

I was re-organizing bookshelves today and picked up a book, remarked to myself that this is a good book, put it on the shelf, and then found on a different case the same book. Not the first time I have done it, either.

[Guest]

I HAVE SO DONE THIS!

 

Most recent memory is a crocheting troubleshooting/tip book, which is amazing and has excellent reviews. I needed something just like it and when I put it on my bookshelf I noticed I had already purchased AND marked up a copy only three books down. It was plainly visible in my living room, how I missed it before I bought a new copy I'll never know.

[Robin M]

Quite a few times.  Some of the fault lies with the publishers changing covers and making me think its a new book.   :lol:   Yes, that's the ticket. Think I'll blame it on someone else rather than age.   :leaving:

[DesertBlossom]

A couple years ago I downloaded an app to scan in all my books so I could have a record of all the books I own when I am out. (I like to browse books at thrift stores) But the app was glitchy and I never got around to doing it. I should see if there is something better available now.

[Onceuponatime]

I've bought awesome books that I already owned... on purpose. It's usually to replace a worn out copy or because the new one is in a different format that I like. I think I will read the new ones too, but I never do. They don't have the same feel. So I have duplicates that I can't bring myself to get rid of.

[J&JMom]

This is one of the reasons I love my GoodReads accounts. I have spared myself a duplicate purchase/read by checking my Good Reads shelves first. Granted this only works for the past 5 years I have been recording the titles me and the kids read...

[Junie]

I have done this several times.  Buying an identical copy of a reproducible book, though, works out.  It just saves me from buying it for the next kid. :)

 

Now that dd5 is older, I will have to make sure not to buy duplicates of things I already have for her.

[marbel]

Twenty-plus years on, my husband likes to remind me of an unfortunate duplicate book purchase I made:   Consciousness Explained, by Daniel Dennett.

 

 

[Guest]

I have done this several times. Buying an identical copy of a reproducible book, though, works out. It just saves me from buying it for the next kid. :)

 

Now that dd5 is older, I will have to make sure not to buy duplicates of things I already have for her.

One time, I bought two copies of a keyboarding (typing) instruction book, thinking I wanted both my older kids to learn it. Why I didn't realize there was NO REASON AT ALL they could not share one copy is a mystery I cannot solve. I got ready to teach them typing and then went, "Wait...why do I have two of these? They can both use the same book!" Face, meet palm.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Has not happened, but my BIL has on more than one occasion sent us the same book more than one time as a gift.  

 

 

[regentrude]

I know which books I own and have never bought the same book twice for myself. I have sometimes bought books for DD without realizing that she already owned them.

 

I did own duplicate books, because when a book came out in East Germany, you had to snatch it at the bookstore as soon as you saw it, since you could never know whether that book might be still available at a later time. So you bought a stack of copies for all your friends when you encountered something desirable.

On several birthdays, I received multiple copies of the same book from different friends who all had been thinking of me when they saw a book in the store that I might like. I gifted the excess copies to less lucky people.

[Classic Mom]

I donated a bunch of books to the library.  The next year, at the book sale my youngest daughter purchased a book and found my oldest daughter's name written in it.  So, we bought back the book we donated!

[OhanaBee]

I have done this when I've bought a book that I thought I had borrowed from the library, only to find that I actually owned said book.  Fortunately the majority of my books purchases are used and under $5.  So I don't feel too bad about giving it away someplace [little library, local hospital waiting room, thrift stores]

 

And yes - this has happened multiple times.

[luuknam]

I'm not sure... that would require me to keep track of the books I have, lol. I think once or twice, but who knows...

 

I know I spotted the Magic Tree House books 4 and 5 in the free bin at the library and grabbed them because they were checked out, and I own the entire series but wasn't sure where it was at. I really need to figure that out, since my youngest is now reading those books and it would simplify my life if he were just reading the series we own, rather than borrowing them from the library and then having to return them.

[Spryte]

I did this today. :)

 

Or rather, on prime day. Happily ordered Miss Peregrine's boxed set for DS, because he wanted to read them. They arrived today. Guess what I already gave him, just a few weeks ago? Aaaaggghhhh!

[JustEm]

I've only done this with kid's books. I've bought the same Little House books multiple times because I can never remember which ones I'm still missing from the series. But at a quarter a book at the thrift store I figure that it doesn't matter if I have duplicates. I've got tons of nieces and nephews to pass our duplicates to.

 

I've never done this with my own books.

[JustEm]

Actually I did it today! I found all the Little Bear books at Goodwill. I knew we had one or 2 but not positive which ones. So I just bought them all. The duplicates will be part of a Christmas gift for a niece.

[Meriwether]

I've done this an embarrassing number of times. I've actually purchased Island of the Blue Dolphins and later discovered I owned 2 copies. Just a few weeks ago, I was sorting out some books trying to figure out which ones to give away. I found two that were the same. I had no idea. I've probably had them both for 5 years. I give duplicates to my sister. If she already has it, I find someone else to give it to.

[Mom22ns]

I chose I have done it at least one time, because I know I have. However, it is entirely possible that I have done it 2+ times; I'm just too old to remember. Umm, come to think of it, that is the same excuse I use for buying a book more than once.

[MinivanMom]

I would be embarrassed to admit how many times I've done this.

 

Maybe I should be more embarrassed to admit how many of those multiple copies I decided to keep when I was KonMari-ing my house last year. But Marie Kondo does say that as long as you feel joy when you hold an object in your hands . . .

[J-rap]

I don't do that for myself, but I do it for other people.  For two years in a row, for example, I bought my father the same book for Father's Day because I loved it so much and knew he would, too!  

[kewb]

I have definitely done it in the past but oer the years I switched to borrowing all my books from the library.  My book collection got a bit much at one point and I wasn't really reading all those books on my shelves.  I just liked looking at them.

[SKL]

I put "at least one" but in my case, it's more kids' books than grown-up books.  For my kids, I buy way in advance (many books I bought long before my kids were even born), and I have so many that I don't have time to do inventory before I buy more.  So this does happen sometimes.

 

I buy very few books for myself to read anyway.  I should buy even fewer, considering we have an excellent library system.  :)

[Peach]

I just want you all to know...I feel much better now :)

[Tanaqui]

That doesn't happen to me, but I have bought duplicates of books thinking "Meh, too much trouble to find the original" only to locate the original within three days of the new purchase.

[Peach]

edited: Oops! Wrong thread. I wondered where this post went :)

Edited July 19, 2016 by Peach

[Farrar]

It's a particular problem with used kids books.

[Guest]

I just want you all to know...I feel much better now :)

Foolishness loves fellowship. :D

[Guest]

I have definitely done it in the past but oer the years I switched to borrowing all my books from the library. My book collection got a bit much at one point and I wasn't really reading all those books on my shelves. I just liked looking at them.

I have more attachments to books for this reason alone than any other reason. One row on my shelf is all writing books. I could surely divest myself of many of them. But, why? I love that row and I love to see them there on my shelf. :D

[Meriwether]

My daughter and I are the same way. She has already staked a claim on my book collection when I die.

[KungFuPanda]

I do this with middle eastern music ALL the time.

[SebastianCat]

I have done this but not an embarrassing number of times - probably because I haven't found all of the duplicates yet. This will be our 10th year of homeschooling, so with so many books over so many years, I figure we're bound to have some duplicates. Like Imelda Marcos and her shoes, right?

[Sk8ermaiden]

I was re-organizing bookshelves today and picked up a book, remarked to myself that this is a good book, put it on the shelf, and then found on a different case the same book. Not the first time I have done it, either.

 

I just took 3 copies of the 5th book of Harry Potter to half price books. Because I had 4.

[Tanaqui]

I just took 3 copies of the 5th book of Harry Potter to half price books. Because I had 4.

 

Bad decision there. We just did the same thing (well, we dropped our spares off at the local Little Free Library) and of course the last copy fell apart when the younger kiddo decided to read it. It's so thick, it's guaranteed even if you're careful.

[Dmmetler]

Far too many times. I've also donated a book to the library book sale, and then bought a copy at the same book sale.

 

Luckily, Amazon tells me when I've already bought something, so I have only done it digitally once (same book on iBooks and on Kindle).

[vonfirmath]

I'm on my third set of Jan Karon's Mitford series. *mumble*

 

ANd two copies of several Sandra Boynton titles I could not find when I wanted to read them to my 2nd child...

 

Edited July 19, 2016 by vonfirmath

[dirty ethel rackham]

I have done this an embarrassing number of times.  Mostly with children's books, though.  My oldest thinks it is hilarious.  But then again, he has a near photographic memory and remembers every book we own, even if he hasn't read it.  And he knows where it is in our house (which of the 11 bookshelves it could be on.)  And he hasn't lived here full time for the 4 years when he was away at college.  And I have done a significant amount of culling and he still knows which books we own. 

 

In my defense, I often bought books at garage sales when I recognized the title from one of those recommended lists.  We ended up with 2 complete sets of the Indian in the Cupboard series and a couple of extras.  I gave him the same book for Christmas two years in a row.  And it had the same cover.  <facepalm>