diff --git a/lib/ap.rb b/lib/ap.rb
index 149fe30..ebeb7d4 100755
--- a/lib/ap.rb
+++ b/lib/ap.rb
@@ -3,16 +3,22 @@
 # Awesome Print is freely distributable under the terms of MIT license.
 # See LICENSE file or http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php
 #------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-%w(array string method object class kernel).each do |file|
-  require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/core_ext/#{file}"
+#
+# AwesomePrint might be loaded implicitly through ~/.irbrc so do nothing
+# for subsequent requires.
+#
+unless defined?(AwesomePrint)
+  %w(array string method object class kernel).each do |file|
+    require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/core_ext/#{file}"
+  end
+
+  require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/awesome_print"
+  require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/core_ext/logger"   if defined?(Logger)
+  require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/mixin/action_view" if defined?(ActionView)
+
+  # Load the following under normal circumstatnces as well as in Rails
+  # console when required from ~/.irbrc.
+  require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/mixin/active_record"  if defined?(ActiveRecord)  || (defined?(IRB) && ENV['RAILS_ENV'])
+  require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/mixin/active_support" if defined?(ActiveSupport) || (defined?(IRB) && ENV['RAILS_ENV'])
+  require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/mixin/mongo_mapper"   if defined?(MongoMapper)
 end
-
-require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/awesome_print"
-require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/core_ext/logger"   if defined?(Logger)
-require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/mixin/action_view" if defined?(ActionView)
-
-# Load the following under normal circumstatnces as well as in Rails
-# console when required from ~/.irbrc.
-require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/mixin/active_record"  if defined?(ActiveRecord)  || (defined?(IRB) && ENV['RAILS_ENV'])
-require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/mixin/active_support" if defined?(ActiveSupport) || (defined?(IRB) && ENV['RAILS_ENV'])
-require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/mixin/mongo_mapper" if defined?(MongoMapper)
diff --git a/lib/awesome_print.rb b/lib/awesome_print.rb
index 268239a..01eeba5 100755
--- a/lib/awesome_print.rb
+++ b/lib/awesome_print.rb
@@ -7,19 +7,20 @@
 # This is the copy of original 'ap.rb' file that matches the gem name. It makes
 # it possible to omit the :require part in bundler's Gemfile:
 #
-# gem 'awesome_print', '>= 0.2.1', :require => 'ap'
-# gem 'awesome_print', '>= 3.0.0'
+# gem 'awesome_print', '>= 0.4.0'
 #
-%w(array string method object class kernel).each do |file|
-  require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/core_ext/#{file}"
+unless defined?(AwesomePrint)
+  %w(array string method object class kernel).each do |file|
+    require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/core_ext/#{file}"
+  end
+
+  require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/awesome_print"
+  require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/core_ext/logger"   if defined?(Logger)
+  require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/mixin/action_view" if defined?(ActionView)
+
+  # Load the following under normal circumstatnces as well as in Rails
+  # console when required from ~/.irbrc.
+  require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/mixin/active_record"  if defined?(ActiveRecord)  || (defined?(IRB) && ENV['RAILS_ENV'])
+  require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/mixin/active_support" if defined?(ActiveSupport) || (defined?(IRB) && ENV['RAILS_ENV'])
+  require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/mixin/mongo_mapper"   if defined?(MongoMapper)
 end
-
-require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/awesome_print"
-require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/core_ext/logger"   if defined?(Logger)
-require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/mixin/action_view" if defined?(ActionView)
-
-# Load the following under normal circumstatnces as well as in Rails
-# console when required from ~/.irbrc.
-require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/mixin/active_record"  if defined?(ActiveRecord)  || (defined?(IRB) && ENV['RAILS_ENV'])
-require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/mixin/active_support" if defined?(ActiveSupport) || (defined?(IRB) && ENV['RAILS_ENV'])
-require File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/ap/mixin/mongo_mapper" if defined?(MongoMapper)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/spec/awesome_print_spec.rb b/spec/awesome_print_spec.rb
index 8e3c731..1bbf949 100644
--- a/spec/awesome_print_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/awesome_print_spec.rb
@@ -467,6 +467,12 @@ EOS
       self.stub!(:puts)
       (ap object).should == object
     end
+
+    # Require different file name this time (lib/ap.rb vs. lib/awesome_print).
+    it "several require 'awesome_print' should do no harm" do
+      require File.expand_path(File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../lib/ap')
+      lambda { rand.ai }.should_not raise_error
+    end
   end
 
   describe "HTML output" do
diff --git a/spec/spec_helper.rb b/spec/spec_helper.rb
index 81a61bf..2e90293 100644
--- a/spec/spec_helper.rb
+++ b/spec/spec_helper.rb
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
 #
 $LOAD_PATH.unshift(File.dirname(__FILE__))
 $LOAD_PATH.unshift(File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), '..', 'lib'))
-require 'ap'
+require 'awesome_print'
 
 def stub_dotfile!
   dotfile = File.join(ENV["HOME"], ".aprc")