Yes, both exams are almost same... If you have HF-SJ 1.4 book then you don't have to buy the newer version. As far as I can remember, newer book included only few amendments for <c:out> JSTL tag and dynamic attribute concept in custom tag development topic. If you can just follow the Spec and catch those 02 subtle topics, it is enough to have the old book.
Good luck!
SCJP, SCWCD, SCMAD, SCSNI