I accept C.S. Lewis donations anywhere in the Albuquerque metro with free pickup — the whole collection: all seven Chronicles of Narnia, the Space Trilogy, The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity and the apologetics, the literary criticism, poetry, and letters, in any edition or condition. You don't sort or price anything. Bring it all, including the early printings you might not recognize; the 1950s Geoffrey Bles Narnia first editions look like ordinary old children's books, so I check everything and the rest funds New Mexico literacy.
Published June 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project
Lewis turns up in nearly every cleanout I do — a childhood Narnia set, a parent's worn Mere Christianity, a college copy of The Screwtape Letters. Most people clearing them just want the shelf cleared and don't want to throw out something that might matter. That's exactly what I'm for: I take the whole collection, free, and I check every book.
What I take: all of it
The Chronicles of Narnia
All seven — The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Prince Caspian; The Voyage of the Dawn Treader; The Silver Chair; The Horse and His Boy; The Magician's Nephew; The Last Battle — in every form: Pauline Baynes–illustrated hardcovers, boxed sets, the numbered and chronological orderings, paperbacks, and movie tie-ins.
The fiction & the Space Trilogy
Out of the Silent Planet (1938), Perelandra (1943), That Hideous Strength (1945), plus The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, and Till We Have Faces.
The apologetics, criticism & letters
Mere Christianity, The Problem of Pain, Miracles, The Four Loves, A Grief Observed, Surprised by Joy, Reflections on the Psalms; the scholarly works (The Allegory of Love, English Literature in the Sixteenth Century, An Experiment in Criticism); the poetry, essays, and collected letters; and the many biographies and companions.
You don't have to know what's valuable
Here's the reason to call rather than dump: the 1950–1956 first editions of the Narnia books, published by Geoffrey Bles in London, are scarce and genuinely valuable — a first edition of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) with Pauline Baynes's illustrations is a real prize, and complete first-edition sets have sold well into the thousands of dollars. The 1938 first of Out of the Silent Planet and the 1942 first of The Screwtape Letters matter too. To most people these look like ordinary old hardcovers, and they get boxed up for a thrift bin without a second glance.
You don't have to learn the points. Bring the whole shelf and I'll recognize the early Geoffrey Bles and Macmillan printings, check the dates and jackets, protect a genuine first, and put the reading copies back into circulation — with any hidden value supporting literacy instead of disappearing into a fifty-cent giveaway.
Why donate instead of selling it yourself
For a confirmed 1950s Narnia first, selling on your own can make sense. For the typical Lewis shelf — paperbacks, a boxed set, a few apologetics — identifying printings and listing each book is more work than they're individually worth, which is why so many shelves sit untouched and then get dumped. Donating settles it in one call: no research, no pricing, no listings, no shipping, free pickup at your door, reading copies to new readers, and anything genuinely valuable recognized and supporting literacy in New Mexico. 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 C.S. Lewis books in Albuquerque?
Right here — free pickup anywhere in the metro for the whole collection: Narnia, the Space Trilogy, Screwtape, the apologetics and criticism. Call or text 702-496-4214.
Are old Narnia books worth anything?
Reading copies are modest, but the 1950–56 Geoffrey Bles first editions (starting with the 1950 Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) are scarce and valuable. They look like ordinary old kids' books — bring it all and let me check.
Worn paperbacks and book-club editions too?
Yes — worn paperbacks, book-club editions, incomplete sets, tie-in covers. Common Lewis is great in circulation; just don't throw any of it out first.
Cite This Guide
Eldred, J. (June 2026). Donate C.S. Lewis Books in Albuquerque — Free Pickup. New Mexico Literacy Project.
https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/donate-cs-lewis-books-albuquerque
Licensed under CC BY 4.0.