Game:

Ultima IX: Ascension (1999)

Duration: 1:02

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1

Some NPCs read books that are placed in their way. If you use the previously shown trick of putting objects into a bag while said bag is on the ground, not in inventory, you can bring the Journal and the Spellbook to them and see if they read those, too.
Well, they do. The actual object is removed from the map and a generic book object appears in their hand. When they put it down, the actual book reappears from where they took it.

As you can see, if you are in the process of moving the object, they still take it in hand AND you can equip it as intended. The next time they try to put it down, the game crashes. UIX doesn't tolerate a Journal/Spellbook being equipped and also being on the map.
However, if you don't equip it, rather place it back into a bag lying on the ground, when the NPC puts their version down, there just won't be anything and the Journal/Spellbook stays only in the bag. No duplication, no crash.

I suppose if you managed to kill said NPC, it would drop the book, just as the Yew farmer drops the carrots he is holding upon death (Wow, an NPC learned any-item glitch wielding before any of us! :O), as well as the Yew hermit drops the Britannia Star and as other video not by me showed ages ago, Batista can drop the magic shield.
It's just that I don't currently remember an NPC that likes books AND can be killed. Maybe more of them likes to read, just there's no book placed around them naturally.

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