I accept A.B. Guthrie donations anywhere in the Albuquerque metro with free pickup — the whole collection: the Big Sky series (The Big Sky, The Way West, These Thousand Hills, Arfive, The Last Valley, Fair Land Fair Land), the memoir The Blue Hen's Chick, and the mysteries. You don't sort or price anything. Bring it all, including the early hardcovers you might not recognize; the 1947 and 1949 first editions are collectible, so I check everything and the rest funds New Mexico literacy.
Published June 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project
A.B. Guthrie Jr. wrote some of the most enduring fiction of the American West — The Big Sky and the Pulitzer-winning The Way West trace the frontier from the mountain-man era to the Oregon Trail (he also wrote the screenplay for Shane). His novels are staples on every Western shelf, and they turn up constantly in New Mexico cleanouts. When a Guthrie collection gets cleared, most people just want it to land somewhere that honors it. That's exactly what I'm for: I take the whole thing, free, and I check every book.
What I take: all of it
The Big Sky series
The Big Sky (1947), The Way West (1949), These Thousand Hills, Arfive, The Last Valley, and Fair Land, Fair Land — the whole six-novel sweep.
Memoir, mysteries & essays
The memoir The Blue Hen's Chick, the Chick Charleston mysteries (Wild Pitch, The Genuine Article), and the essays and poetry.
Any condition
The early Sloane firsts, book-club editions, the movie tie-ins, signed copies, worn paperbacks, and reading copies — bring whatever's on the shelf.
You don't have to know what's valuable
Here's the reason to call rather than dump: Guthrie's early firsts are collectible. The Big Sky (1947) and The Way West (1949), which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, in fine condition with the dust jacket are sought-after, and signed copies bring more. The catch is that book-club editions of The Big Sky are extremely common and look almost identical to the first — telling them apart takes a practiced eye. That's exactly the distinction I check. Bring the whole shelf and I'll recognize the true firsts, protect them, and keep the book-club copies and paperbacks in circulation, with any hidden value identified and handled properly.
Why donate instead of selling it yourself
For a confirmed first, selling on your own can pay. For the book-club editions and paperbacks, listing each is more work than it's worth — and sorting a first from a book-club copy is exactly the tedious step that keeps these shelves sitting until they're dumped. Donating handles it in one call: no research, no pricing, no listings, no shipping, free pickup at your door, reading copies to new readers, and a genuine first recognized and supporting New Mexico literacy. Here's where donated books go.
How free pickup works
Call or text 702-496-4214 (or schedule online), tell me roughly how much there is and where you are, and we set a time. I come to you and load it all. I cover Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Corrales, the East Mountains, and the surrounding metro, and I handle whole-house and estate cleanouts regularly.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I donate A.B. Guthrie books in Albuquerque?
Right here — free pickup anywhere in the metro for the whole collection: the Big Sky series, the memoir, the mysteries. Call or text 702-496-4214.
Are old A.B. Guthrie books worth anything?
The early firsts (The Big Sky 1947; The Way West 1949, a Pulitzer winner) are collectible, jacketed/signed more; book-club editions and paperbacks common. Bring it all and let me check.
Book-club editions too?
Yes — book-club editions, paperbacks, movie tie-ins, reading copies. Just don't throw any of it out first.
Cite This Guide
Eldred, J. (June 2026). Donate A.B. Guthrie Books in Albuquerque — Free Pickup. New Mexico Literacy Project.
https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/donate-ab-guthrie-books-albuquerque
Licensed under CC BY 4.0.