I accept Edward Abbey donations anywhere in the Albuquerque metro with free pickup — the whole collection: Desert Solitaire, The Monkey Wrench Gang and Hayduke Lives!, The Brave Cowboy (set in Albuquerque) and Fire on the Mountain, the essay collections, and the late novel The Fool's Progress. You don't sort or price anything. Bring it all: I check every book by hand, and readable copies go back to readers.
Published June 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project
Edward Abbey is the patron saint of the desert Southwest, and there's a local thread, too: his 1956 novel The Brave Cowboy is set right here in Albuquerque. So an Abbey shelf is a piece of regional history. When one gets cleared, most people just want it to go to someone who'll read 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 desert classics
Desert Solitaire, The Monkey Wrench Gang and its sequel Hayduke Lives!, and the New Mexico novels The Brave Cowboy (filmed as Lonely Are the Brave) and Fire on the Mountain.
The essays & later fiction
The essay collections — Down the River, Abbey's Road, Beyond the Wall, The Journey Home, One Life at a Time, Please — plus the novels Black Sun, Good News, and the big autobiographical The Fool's Progress.
Signed limiteds & any condition
The signed limited editions (some prized by collectors), worn paperbacks, book-club editions, and reading copies — bring whatever's on the shelf.
Why bring the whole shelf
Donating takes one call or text: no research, no pricing, no listings, no shipping. Free pickup in the Albuquerque metro, or the covered 24/7 drop box outside the gate at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, any hour. I check every book by hand, readable copies go back to readers, and no readable book goes to the landfill. Here's where donated books go.
How free pickup works
Call or text 505-250-3804 (or schedule online), tell me roughly how much there is and where you are, and I add you to the next route through your area. 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 Edward Abbey books in Albuquerque?
Right here — free pickup anywhere in the metro for the whole collection: Desert Solitaire, The Monkey Wrench Gang, The Brave Cowboy, the essays. Call or text 505-250-3804.
Can I drop Edward Abbey books off instead of waiting for a pickup?
Yes. The covered 24/7 drop box outside the gate at 5445 Edith Blvd NE takes them any hour, and someone is at the warehouse from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. to help unload a bigger load.
Paperbacks and essays too?
Yes — the essay collections, worn paperbacks, book-club editions. Just don't throw any of it out first.
Cite This Guide
Eldred, J. (June 2026). Donate Edward Abbey Books in Albuquerque — Free Pickup. New Mexico Literacy Project.
https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/donate-edward-abbey-books-albuquerque
Licensed under CC BY 4.0.