<?php if(isset($_GET['alph'])){
$alph = $_GET['alph'];
$sql = "SELECT * FROM paid WHERE title LIKE '$alph%' ORDER by asc";
$query = mysql_query($sql);
while($data = mysql_fetch_array($query)){
$desc = substr($data['description'],0,100);
echo "<tr><td valign=\"top\">".$data['title']." ".$data['description']."</tr></td>";
}}
?>

$entries = array();
while($data = mysql_fetch_array($query)) {
  $entries[]=$data['title'];
  if(!in_array($data['title'], $entries)) {
    // Your code here
  }
}

CREATE TABLE new_table AS
SELECT * FROM old_table WHERE 1 GROUP BY [COLUMN TO remove duplicates BY];

DROP TABLE old_table;

RENAME TABLE new_table TO old_table;

CREATE TABLE table2 (
id INT NOT NULL UNIQUE AUTO_INCREMENT,
name VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL 
);

INSERT INTO table2(id,name) VALUES
(1,'Things Fall Apart'),
(2,'Things Fall Apart'),
(3,'The Famished Road'),
(4,'Things Fall Apart'),
(5,'The Famished Road'),
(6,'Thirteen cents'),
(7,'Thirteen cents');

CREATE  TABLE 
temp2(id VARCHAR(10), name VARCHAR(20))
TYPE=HEAP;

INSERT INTO temp2(name) SELECT DISTINCT name FROM table2;

DELETE FROM table2;

INSERT INTO table2(id,name) SELECT id,name FROM temp2;

$sql = "SELECT DISTINCT(field), * FROM paid WHERE title LIKE '$alph%' ORDER by asc";