Donate Cormac McCarthy Books — Free Albuquerque Pickup

I accept Cormac McCarthy donations anywhere in the Albuquerque metro with free pickup — the whole collection: Blood Meridian, the Border Trilogy, No Country for Old Men, The Road, the early Tennessee novels (The Orchard Keeper, Outer Dark, Child of God, Suttree), and the late books The Passenger and Stella Maris. You don't sort or price anything. Bring it all, including the early hardcovers you might not recognize; firsts like The Orchard Keeper (1965) and Blood Meridian (1985) run into the thousands, so I check everything and the rest funds New Mexico literacy.

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

McCarthy is one of ours in a real sense — he spent much of his later life in New Mexico, around Santa Fe and Tesuque and the Santa Fe Institute — and he's also one of the most seriously collected American novelists alive or dead. So a McCarthy shelf here is both a local story and a genuine treasure hunt. When one gets cleared, most people just want it gone and don't realize what an early first is worth. 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: McCarthy's early firsts are seriously valuable. His debut, The Orchard Keeper (Random House, 1965), was printed in only about 4,000 copies, and a fine first runs several thousand dollars; a first of Blood Meridian (1985) is in the same range, with signed copies reaching $10,000–$20,000. The early Tennessee novels are scarce because almost nobody was buying McCarthy before the 1990s. To most people these look like any plain old 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, protect them, and keep the reading copies in circulation, with any hidden value staying in the book economy here in his adopted home state.

Why donate instead of selling it yourself

For a confirmed early first, selling on your own (after professional authentication) can pay handsomely. For the rest — paperbacks, tie-ins, later printings — listing each book is more work than it's worth, which is why so many 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 Cormac McCarthy books in Albuquerque?

Right here — free pickup anywhere in the metro for the whole collection: Blood Meridian, the Border Trilogy, The Road, the early novels, the late books. Call or text 702-496-4214.

Are old McCarthy books worth anything?

Very much so — a fine first of The Orchard Keeper (1965) or Blood Meridian (1985) runs into the thousands, signed far more. They look ordinary; bring it all and let me check.

Paperbacks and tie-ins too?

Yes — worn paperbacks, film tie-ins, book-club editions, reading copies. Just don't throw any of it out first.