As a wise man once said: Reading books and collecting books are two entirely different hobbies!

For the first 19 years of my life, I had a home library that consisted mostly of books translated into my native language. Then, I started my degree in English Language and Literature. Naturally, I bought all of my essential reading in English, but for some I also bought the translated version, so I could better comprehend the story (especially when it comes to books written in archaic English). So that is how I started my English book collection.

However, starting college in a big city also meant better access to books. I am now in my third year and I have accumulated a significant number of books in English, not just for my degree, but also for casual reading. So now my book buying politics looks something like this:

If the book was written in English and I can buy it in that language, I will do so.

If the book was written in a language close to my native language, I will buy a translated copy.

If the book was written in a language that is neither English, nor anything close to my mother tongue, I will buy whichever copy is more affordable.

Now, this practice has proven to be quite good so far. However, there will always be books that I’ll read in one language and love them so much that I absolutely need to own a copy in the other language. Luckily, there are not too many of those, so I can just ask people to get them for me for Christmas or my birthday.

That is also one reason why I am terrified of libraries - I’ll want to own each and every book that I like, so I might as well just purchase them in the first place.

All of that being said, everyone’s book buying habits are different, and I advise you to follow your heart regarding this issue. If you can afford the English editions, I encourage you to go on with your practice! And, in the end, at least you are not purchasing the same book twice, so you still have some financial balance. (And even if you did buy double copies, no one has the right to judge you for it.)

Happy reading!

It was indeed a generic copy.

That being said, in all honestly, studying the Bible isn’t something I’m that much interested in. I respect it and try to incorporate its wisdom into my thoughts and actions, but for me organized religion was always more of a chore than a free choice.

However, I’m glad that you are passionate about studying theology. My grandma also likes to fill out her free time with such musings, and sometimes she’ll share her thoughts with me, which I always appreciate.

I hope you manage to get a copy of Douay-Rheims!

I’d like to know the thought process that was going on in that person’s brain!

I was raised Catholic and on Confirmation day, at 15, the gift I got from my godfather was a Bible. I thought to myself: my good sir, I wouldn’t be here today if I hadn’t studied that exact book for the past decade of my life. So yeah, as a voracious reader, I was expecting something a bit different. And the fact that the priest himself told us beforehand that for his Confirmation he got a wristwatch didn’t help either. Anyway, the Bible at least came in handy when we were analyzing some excerpts in high school. From then on, everyone who’s considering buying me a book receives a carefully curated list.