Donate Alice Corbin Henderson Books — Free ABQ Pickup

I accept Alice Corbin Henderson donations anywhere in the Albuquerque metro with free pickup — the whole collection: Red Earth: Poems of New Mexico, The Sun Turns West, the anthology she edited (The Turquoise Trail), Brothers of Light: The Penitentes of the Southwest, and the magazines and anthologies she appears in. You don't sort or price anything. Bring it all, including slim volumes you might not recognize; the early firsts and signed copies are collectible, so I check everything and the rest funds New Mexico literacy.

Published June 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project

Alice Corbin Henderson was at the center of two literary worlds: she was the associate editor of Poetry magazine in its founding years in Chicago, then came to Santa Fe in 1916 and became an anchor of its writers' colony. A shelf of her work is a piece of New Mexico's literary founding — and quietly collectible. When one gets cleared, most people just want it to reach someone who'll read it — and don't want to throw out a scarce first. That's exactly what I'm for: I take the whole thing, free, and I check every book.

What I take: all of it

You don't have to know what's valuable

Here's the reason to call rather than dump: Henderson's early firsts are collected. The 1920 first of Red Earth, the 1928 first of The Turquoise Trail, and the illustrated Brothers of Light (1937) are sought by collectors of New Mexico poetry and Penitente history, and signed copies bring a premium. To most people these look like any old slim hardcover, and they get given away for a dollar. You don't have to learn the points — bring the whole shelf and I'll recognize the early firsts and signed copies, protect them, and keep the reading copies in circulation, with any hidden value put to good use in the state she helped put on the literary map.

Why donate instead of selling it yourself

For a confirmed first or a signed copy, selling on your own can pay well. For the rest — later printings, anthologies, worn copies — listing each book is more work than it's worth, which is why so many poetry shelves get dumped intact. 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 Alice Corbin Henderson books in Albuquerque?

Right here — free pickup anywhere in the metro for the whole collection: Red Earth, The Turquoise Trail, Brothers of Light, the anthologies. Call or text 702-496-4214.

Are her old books worth anything?

The 1920 Red Earth, the 1928 Turquoise Trail, and the illustrated Brothers of Light (1937) are collectible, signed copies more. They look ordinary — bring it all and let me check.

Worn copies and anthologies too?

Yes — ex-library volumes, the anthologies and magazine issues she appears in, reading copies. Just don't throw any of it out first.