I love to read. I know, what a shocking statement to make on a guest blog about books. For Tor.com. From an author. I might as well have said, I breathe air or I like Doritos. But I do love to read and I have always loved to read and that was the sole reason the only thing I ever wanted to be in life was an author. And along that journey of reading so many countless books, some have just stood out amongst the others.
I should also say that I like to buy books. There is nothing in this world that I enjoy more than holding a brand new book, flipping through its pages, shoving my nose in there and smelling whatever the hell that smell is that’s inside a book. My kids make fun of me all the time. “Dad, why are you smelling that book? Again?”
Combine all of this and you have a guy who has willingly thrown his money at poor cashier clerks within many different bookstores—often to buy a book of which I already own more than one copy. Yes, publishers are evil this way. “Ooh!” they say. “Let’s hire a new artist and do a new cover for this oldie but goodie and everyone will have to buy it all over again!” Yes, these are the actions of an evil empire, and I’m so glad they do it.
Every once in a while, like when a butterfly flaps its wings and stirs the air and causes domino effects across the world until there’s a hurricane at your door, when all the stars and planets line up just right, something magical comes across your path—a book that stands out among the many. Something that you will never forget. It’ll happen when you’re a kid. When you’re a teenager. When you’re in college. Middle-age. On your death bed. But these are books that transcend the words on their pages or the story or the characters or any of it. It becomes a part of you.
It’s happened a few times to me. And I think it’s fun to have several copies of these special tomes. They stand on the shelf like trophies, or family photos, or little knickknacks your parents brought home for you from exotic, far-flung places. And even if I never literally re-read them, I often pull them down and spend a few minutes with an old friend.
Here are a few examples of such special books:
Dune by Frank Herbert
This is one of the very few times in my life that I have to admit I saw the movie before reading the book. Director David Lynch made an epic, sweeping, insane version of this in the eighties, when I was just a kid, and my dad had been eagerly anticipating it for months and months. My dad was a scifi nerd like none other before him, and the Dune series had always been his favorite. We saw the movie together, and I was completely and totally transfixed by this strange, eerie, captivating world. I immediately read the book.
I can’t say that I love the sequels. But that one book, the first one, with all of its depth and political machinations and archaic machines and dynastic houses (way before Game of Thrones) and the Fremen and the worms… I could go on forever. But it truly took me to another place and it’s one of the few books in life that I’ve read several times. And yes, every time they come out with a new edition, I’m the first sucker to buy it.
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
I won’t bore you with the details, because you’d have to be a hermit crab on a deserted island to not know everything there is to know about this world-changing series of books. I loved the movies just as much as the books. I listen to those soundtracks often when I write. These books also took me to another place, and it was so awesome to experience that same feeling all over again when the films came out.
My favorite thing about LOTR is the vast amount of artwork that has been done to celebrate that world and its characters and beasts. I just can’t get enough. Maybe that’s why I own so many variations of this series.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
There’s only really one word I need to say about this series: “Tesseract.” To this day, that word still gives me chills and reminds me of what it’s like to feel a pure sense of wonder. As a child, I absolutely, positively had to know what a tesseract was from the moment it was first uttered on the page. I’ve been chasing that feeling in my reading and writing ever since.
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
This book represents a very important chunk of my life—the college years. I saw the musical of Les Mis, then read the full unabridged version over a Christmas holiday. Both the musical and the book combined to affect me on a deep level. It’s just an amazing story, so full of meaning it needs to be read a hundred times to catch it all (although one time is tough enough!). Family, love, sacrifice, bravery, good vs. evil, you name it, it’s all in this story. And it just happens to be one of those books that are in the public domain so everybody under the sun does cool versions of it. Cue in the sucker, me.
The Stand by Stephen King
My favorite book by my favorite author of all time. What else is there to say? Stephen King defined my high school years, and he’s only gotten better since. He may be the only author out there for whom I buy his new book on the day it comes out, without exception, ever. And they tend to do lots of versions of this one.
Yeah, you guessed it. I own them all.
Top image: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
James Dashner is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series: The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, The Kill Order, and The Fever Code, and the New York Times bestselling Mortality Doctrine series: The Eye of Minds, The Rule of Thoughts, and The Game of Lives. Follow him @jamesdashner on Twitter, and find dashnerjames on Instagram.
I’ve done almost* 3 out of 5. When I originally bought the LOTR trilogy, it was the early 2000s and the editions I got had pictures of the actors on them. I eventually found editions with painted artwork and bought those. I ended up giving the other editions to a friend who no longer had his and wanted to read them again. I’ve also owned multiple editions of The Stand. Just a great book.
*I still have the original book that I bought of Dune. I will get a fancy special edition in that far off, magical time when I have extra money. Also, the Frank Herbert Dune books are great. A couple of the later one’s even in the same league as the original in my opinion. The crap written by his son are better left alone.
I love four of those books. I’ve never read much of Stephen King though.
I never bought multiple copies of any, actually the only one of these I purchased was the omnibus of Lord of the Rings.
The only book I’ve ever actually bought multiple copies of was
“Living With a Huge Peenis” as a gag gift for friends.
I’m so excited that you mentioned Les Miserables because for awhile that was one of my favorite ‘non-genre’ books. We read a small portion of it in my Humanities class (the part where Valjean meets the kindly bishop) and I was so intrigued by it (and probably excited to actually come across a priest character who wasn’t actually a hypocrite, venal, corrupt or fanatical) I ended up reading the whole book.
Dune and LotR are other books I love. I have Wrinkle in Time too! And in fact, I have bought multiple copies of LotR, because my dog chewed up my paperpacks, and they had to be replaced. And then later I decided to upgrade to hardcovers.
That said, I am the opposite of you. While I do love having a large physical library, I hate clutter (two things that are at odds with each other) so having multiple copies of the same book makes me eye twitchy. That’s where I draw the line :)
I did do a purge a few years ago where I got rid of some books I’d read but didn’t love (including the Dune sequels – although I do recall enjoying Children of Dune, some sci fi classics like Foundation, Stranger in a Strange Land, Neuromancer, etc) and I kind of regret it now. But I think it’s partially because having the books on my shelf was kind of a status symbol, heh.
I’ve also started reading a lot of books on e-book and it does kind of make me said they’re not on my shelves. That said, the Russian greats would take up a LOT of room :) Maybe I’ll keep an eye out for them at second hand sales.
I’ve gone through multiple copies of Ender’s Game, reading at least two of them so many times that they fell apart. I bought the nice hardcover reprint a few years back and that has served me well.
Multiple copies of Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion. Lots of pretty editions of The Last Unicorn out there too.
Also any time I’m in a used book store and I see John Barnes’ One for the Morning Glory I buy it. It is a fantastic standalone fantasy novel and my favorite book to give away.
Ah, the multiple copy issue. As both money and available space are finite quantities, I prefer to abstain where possible, with the aid of this handy checklist:
New paperback cover? No sale.
New hardcover, with introduction by a noted SFF figure? Er, I will read the introduction on Amazon or something.
New slipcased hardcover limited edition, with introduction by a noted SFF figure, newly commissioned illustrations and signed to title page by contributors? Tenser, said the tensor, tension, apprehension–
There are exceptions. For example, the times when I caved on collector’s editions, justifying it to myself by claiming that I didn’t have the book already so it counts as a new purchase. Of course, as soon as said volume arrived, the collecting instinct took over and I went looking for a paperback I could read so that the limited edition stayed in fine condition. (This, at least, happens less often than it used to.)
Then there is the hardcover Alan Lee illustrated edition of The Hobbit: it appears to be second-hand but I have absolutely no memory of how I acquired it (I have suggested that it formed by spontaneous generation).
It is, nonetheless, easy enough to exploit my weaknesses and blind spots. Liveright’s The New Annotated H. P. Lovecraft contains solely stories I already have in physical form and could read for free on the internet but the extensive and informative Leslie Klinger annotations, photographs and other such supplementary material means that, in this case at least, I have no regrets about breaking the usual rules.
Dear James Dashner, please, don’t be cheap or lazy like every other blog writer out there. Don’t use abbreviations for tittles. I cringed when I saw “LOTR” even though you had use the full title a few lines earlier. You’re writing an article, not texting. Have a little consideration for your readers. Thank you.
I have gone through multiple copies of the Wheel of Time paperbacks – both because I enjoy re-reading the books periodically and the material of the covers/binding on the paperbacks are so bad that they do not stay intact.
Thanks for reading my musings.
AndrewHB
I only keep multiple copies if the original book itself has some sort of sentimental value, but I also want to reread it. So, for ex, I have modern copies of fragile paperbacks that my father first owned in the 60s/70s and/or books that were signed. That way the more precious ones are safe, while the more sturdy modern copies I can pull off the shelf and reread if I want and not worry about damaging it, since I can just get a new one.
The one book I always, always, always buy when I encounter it in a used bookstore is John Bellairs’ The Face in the Frost. I have a couple of loaner copies to lend to friends, but keep a couple in reserve, just in case…
@@@@@ AndrewHB
Yeah, same here too for The Wheel of Time series.
At first, I bought the small paperbacks and had to start replacing them as I went back to constantly reread Perrin’s storyline over and over again; the bindings started to fail on them.
I also bought the ‘first three books set’ for a co-worker to get him started on the series.
After that, I then purchased the much larger e-book cover paperback versions to do a full reread of the story.
And now, at the moment I am buying all the audiobooks of TWoT and doing another full story re-listen to them.
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As for Tolkien’s Middle-Earth works, I started with the small late 70’s Tolkien covers paperbacks, then bought the larger Alan Lee paperbacks, and finally purchased the pricey larger hardcovers of them that I imported from England. I will probably try out the audio versions of them soon.
@10, I just finished a re-listen of WOT. Those are quality audiobooks.
Good Omens. I have bought a copy of that in every country I have moved to.
Also Discworld – I have several editions, including the wonderful Compact Discworld versions of the first four, which spent some 15 years travelling the world in the hood of my backpack before ebooks came along.
Catcher in the Rye is the big one to get extra copies of, if you’re a product of the MK Ultra program.
Back when H. Beam Piper’s books were out of print (and looked like estate issues would keep them that way), we’d buy any copies of SPACE VIKING, etc., we came across to give to other readers.
Books that I’ve had to repurchase do to having read them to death in my youth: Dorsai! by Dickson; The Sleeping Dragon, by Rosenberg, and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein.
Books that I’ve had to repurchase as I keep giving away my copies: The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by McKillip; The Hitch-Hikers Guide to the Galaxy by Adams; and Sweet Silver Blues by Cook.
I have three copies of The Way of Kings: ARC, 1st HC, and UK paperback. Also ARCs and matching 1st’s of several other Sanderson books.
LOTR 50th leatherbound + Illustrated box set
And two full sets of Jane Austen
I’ve a tendency to buy additional copies of out-of-print works or books not easily found that I’ve enjoyed in the past and treasure my lonesome copy of, but face a conundrum: to better secure my collection, or leave that rare jewel for someone else to discover and be swept away by? I try not to be selfish.
I have at least half-a-dozen copies of LUD-IN-THE-MIST in the Ballantine Adult Fantasy edition.
It is so good to find out I´m not the only one who does this.
Mostly the reason is different illustrations, but also – myself being Czech and most of my favourite authors being English – translation. I have about five different versions of Hamlet. Some translators are more acurate, some are more after the poetry and rhyme, and it is so much fun to compare.
I still have my childhood (battered) copy of Watership Down, but I became aware about a decade ago of a missing section in the US edition, so I tracked down a copy from the UK when the opportunity arose. …And then, I also bought the very handsome illustrated edition, that happens to match my copy of Last of the Mohicans (illus. N.C. Wyeth) that I got in the gift shop at the Fenimore Museum.
I confess, I’m not above buying the Barnes & Noble leatherbound editions of books I already own. But usually that’s if I don’t have it in hardcover.
Four things get me to buy multiple copies of books I love: 1) It’s a new version of the story, because the author has added things; 2) it’s an illustrated edition and I like the looks of it; 3) I’ve read the original to pieces; 4) It’s an ebook version of either a large book that hurts to hold, like the books of A Song of Ice and Fire, or just omnibus collections like the Sorcery and Cecilia books so I don’t have to hunt for the always-vanishing book two.
I have read and re-read many times “The Stars My Destination” by Alfred Bester. I own it in paperback from a long time ago, also a re-issue and an electronic copy for my Kindle. I think it is truly one of the all-time great SF stories.
Two reasons I’ve bought multiple copies of the same book:
1. I forgot I already owned a copy. This happens mostly with longer series where I’m behind on buying the latest incarnation. Or something I told myself years ago that I’d read eventually (when I bought the first copy).
2. I know I’ll want to lend a copy out to friends to get them hooked. This is the only time I’ll buy mass market paperbacks. (Otherwise, I hate trying to read the blasted things. Squinting isn’t a favorite hobby of mine.) Then, when said friends either lose or maim the book, I don’t feel utterly bereft. :)
3. Okay, so three reasons…With Diana Gabaldon’s books, I also own all the Kindle editions. Easier to lug around than her 1,000-page tomes.
P.S. I totally do the same thing with Stephen King books. I always preorder the hardcover first editions of everything he writes, without question. I’m so far behind on King books because the man writes so fast! (And I too own multiple copies of The Stand! By far his best.)
I’m surprised you didn’t mention my main reason for buying multiple copies: to be able to lend a book without worrying about whether it comes home again. I’ll happily lend most of my books, hoping they’ll come home, but there are a few books I have duplicates of Just In Case: Pamela Dean’s Tam Lin, Joan Aiken’s Not What You Expected, and now that I think of it, I should really add Jo Walton’s The King’s Peace to that category.
Besides the Bible (NOT sorry to say that I am a Christian) , the most excellent book I have ever read is JAMES D. Doss : The Old Gray Wolf. I have bought the paperback, I have it as an Ebook, I have the hardback. And if someone had an Audio version, I would buy that also. Having read for so many years, all the books tend to blend together, the plots easily guessed at. The Old Gray Wolf is the first book in years that actually surprised me. It is laugh out loud funny. Charlie Moon is GREAT!
I’ve bought more than 10 copies of The Count of Montecristo (Dumas)… some in different languages, so with different art, so with different translations… I love reading them and finding the subtle differences in this masterpiece :)
The following are reasons why I have multiple copies of some books:
1. A book that I like to have available with me at any time. I buy an e-book version even if I have dead tree versions.
2. Those books are often those of favorite authors that I like to have autographed. I will buy anything by Bujold or Brust in both formats as they come out.
3. Books that are physically worn out by many readings.
I have bought new copies of books that I lost (or loaned and never got back) and occasionally I’ve “upgraded” from paperback to hardcover for a book I really loved and knew I would be rereading over and over. Other than that there’s only a couple of cases were my bookshelves hold multiple copies of the same book.
Stranger in a Strange Land – I bought this in hardback many years ago but sometime later the publisher released an “uncensored(?)” version of the story that was several thousand worlds longer than the originally published version. Being a fan of the book and of Heinlein I had to buy that to see what we had been missing all those years!
The Hobbit – I first read The Hobbit as a library book in high school and knew I had to own this for my own collection. Over the years I have acquired a hard cover of the story with the author’s artwork included, a slip case version (a present from my parents), an annotated version, a version illustrated with artwork from the Rankin-Bass cartoon, a version illustrated by Alan Lee, a Kindle version and an Audible version.
Lord of the Rings – I first read this in paperback as a teenager, and again knew this was a series I would be reading again and again. Since then, I have gotten a three volume hard back edition, a single volume slip case version (another present from my parents), a version illustrated by Alan Lee, a Kindle version and an Audible version.
I have or have had, multiple copies of 4 of these. I don,t read Stephen King anymore. I have worn out multiple copies of most of William Gibsons’ books starting with Necromancer right through The Peripheral. Clifford Simacks City too.
Since I began reading a long long time ago….
Books I’ve worn out through re-reading and have had to buy a new copy:
The Hobbit, by Tolkien
Dorsai!, by Dickson
Starship Troopers by Heinlein
Exodus by Leon Uris
The Magic Engineer; Parafaith War by Modesitt
Lord of the Firelands by Duncan.
We Were Soldiers Once, and Young. Moore and Galloway: I humped this book through three CAXs, 1 Kernel Blitz, 2 deployments, and each night while in the field, we would have a “reading from the good book” as part of the J.O. Survival Club.
Good list. I own LOTR (and The Hobbit. And The Simarillion. And the complete JRRT works.) Owned 2 different LOTR versions in my life.
I also own Dune, my 2nd copy.
Same with The Stand, which is my favorite SK as well.
I read Les Mis but never owned it, nor felt the desire to.
And I owned Wrinkle in Time as a kid, but havent read it in years..
Awwww…..these old friends – I too love the Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit and Steven King. I have also bought multiple versions of these – Audible, Kindle, Hardback and Paperback. Some of my other favorites, Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time Series (absolutely my # 1), Terry Brooks’ Shannara Series, George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones Series, Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn Series, and of course I can’t leave out JK Rowlings’ Harry Potter Series. All of these I have bought multiples of in some form and for various reasons. I could go on, but there are too many to mention – I simply love to read.
Normally I try to resist buying more than one edition – however …
I have all the Discworld books and am now collecting the beautiful clothbound hardbacks. As I’ve read them all several times, I feel it’s justified.
I’ll also confess to collecting the new illustrated Harry Potter books (CoS due shortly). The original UK versions have no illustrations but the new hardbacks are beautifully done.
I have purchased 6 copies each of Dune and Watership Down, due to lending and no returns (except the guy from Austria. HE mailed it back.). I don’t keep multiple copies simply for space reasons, as right now I’m contemplating knocking down some outer walls for a library-oriented extension. I will buy a hardcover copy if the paperback is getting a little too worn – until the author becomes one of my hardcover authors (No one starts out as a hardcover author with me. Paperback until I decide I adore you and want all of your books immediately upon publication.).
I will replace books that are falling to pieces and acquire ebook versions of my favorite books when they are on sale (Open Media sales are great!) but the only book without multiple English translations where I have knowingly purchased two physical copies and kept both has been Gombrich’s _The Story of Art_. I own both the hard cover and paperback ‘pocket’ edition.
I still remember the moment I found DUNE in the library stacks in junior high school about 35 years ago. My world changed. I still get that thrill when I see the orange/brown cover in my own bookcases. Have not cared for the movie/TV adaptations.
I’ve also hit the age where I’m wanting to re-read many books I’ve loved over the decades in order to see them with older, more life-experienced eyes. Katherine Kurtz, Bujold, Lloyd Alexander, Jordan, etc.
I’m finding I’m purchasing not only the hardback version, but also ebook (easier to carry around and read) and even the audiobook version trying to make the most use of my drive/work time. :)
So much to read. Too little time
I still have my 1968-era paperback set of LOTR, with the wonderful covers, plus at least two other editions. So many have already posted about the books I’ve either got multiple copies of, or have replaced due to wear. I also still have my first copy of **The Ship Who Sang** from Anne McCaffrey, circa 1970; wonderful stories, great artwork on the cover. I’ve updated my Bujold Vorkosigan set to hardcovers as much as possible. And then there are the books for which I have the print edition, and the ebook, and the audiobook. FWIW, the audiobook version of **Dune** is very, very well done; if you haven’t listened to it, you’re missing a treat.
24 (aedifica) Yes to Tam Lin. I went to Swarthmore, the slightly kinder climate version and in the same years as the fictional version of Carleton College depicted in the novel. I give the book to everyone undertaking the small liberal arts college experience. And I’ve given multiple copies of LeGuin’s “The Left Hand of Darkness.” to folks under 50 who think they invented gender fluidity.
Lord of the Rings, of course! And thank you for mentioning Good Omens, @12!
I would add Stardust by Neil Gaiman, since I currently have that in more formats than I can remember. The hardcover version with illustrations by Charles Vess is still one of my all-time favorites.
And I also think The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay would have to make my list of duplicates. Apparently, I can’t resist the trilogy every time it is published in a new edition.
I’m a collector (hoarder, maybe?) of books, and a BookCrosser, so I have duplicates of many books at any given time, but these are just a couple that are dear to my heart that weren’t yet mentioned.
One more thing, I also have hard cover duplicates of Brom’s books The Child Thief and Krampus: The Yule Lord because my partner and I both wanted to devour the books immediately upon release. Then we kept both copies of both books to re-read again. (Yes. We do think Brom is *that* good!) So maybe that’s another reason to own multiple copies. ;-)
I replaced Stephen Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant series several times ..after loaning them out and Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan? I have it in my nook and in hardback .. I’ve lost one in hardback an I’m still trying to fil that empty spot in my book shelf. It is pretty hard to find though.
I love four of the books you mentioned, and have multiple copies of Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and Dune. I sometimes buy for the art and sometimes to have a copy that is more manageable to hold (not as often since i now also read e-books), or ones that I’ll risk to wear and tear of a re-read.
Two also have multiple copies of in addition American Gods and Alice in Wonderland. Many re-reads over the years.
CRUDDY by Linda Barry. Buy it every time I come across it (new or used). Makes a great gift for anyone who likes a good read.
I first read Lord of the Rings in the pirated Ace paperbacks (long gone). My first hardcover set was the first printing of the revised U.S. edition, and I still own that. Then I bought the Alan Lee-covered trade paperbacks when the text was updated again. I also have a few foreign-language editions. (I can’t read them, I just collect them!) My Tolkien shelf continues with the History of Middle Earth, Silmarillion, etc etc etc–all of these are first printings except for Poems and Stories. (I still need the later version of The Monsters and the Critics…)
Bought multiple copies of “Bridge of Birds” by Barry Hughart and “Guilty Pleasures” by Laurell K Hamilton.
I have multiple copies of The Hobbit, because it came out in anniversary editions back in the 80s. There’s the Tolkien-illustrated one -and then I found that one edition had four internals and the other had five. And I got the Alan Lee-illoed edition and the much rarer Michael Hague one which our bookseller brought to my school library, knowing I would have to have it, despite the $75 price tag. I was given the annotated version as a farewell gift from my previous job. And, since acquiring my iPad and e-reader, I have bought an enhanced edition which has, among other goodies, three poems/songs recited or sung by Tolkien! So, you can press play on the Dwarves’ song and Tolkien sings it for you. How good is that? :)
Needless to say, I have multiple copies of LOTR, since all those illustrated editions came out, plus a single-volume edition for convenience.
I have two copies of Harry Harrison’s Technicolor Time Machine because the signed copy is almost falling apart.
My signed copy of Dune is worn, but someone gave me a hardcover, plus I bought it in e-book.
I have two copies of Exodus, one paperback, one hardcover I bought for 20c in perfect condition at a school fete. I have found there are differences between them, maybe new editing, so worth having.
Despite reading and rereading the Discworld books, I mostly only have one print copy of each, because I borrowed them all from the library as I waited for the paperback to come out. I do have som in e-book.
I have become so addicted to my e-reader that I have bought digital versions of my favorite books so I can take hundreds of my favorite books everywhere. I don’t have anything against paper books, but I love to read in bed and it’s more comfortable with a digital device. Also I’m cheap, so I only go out of my way to buy a nice hardback if it’s something really special, like the complete works of Shakespeare.