Donate Edward Abbey Books — Free Albuquerque Pickup

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, including the early hardcovers you might not recognize; the early firsts and signed limited editions are collectible, so I check everything and the rest funds New Mexico literacy.

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 both a regional treasure and a genuinely collectible one. When one gets cleared, most people just want it to go to someone who'll read it — and don't want to throw out the valuable early 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: Abbey's early firsts are sought-after. His 1956 debut The Brave Cowboy, Fire on the Mountain (1962), the 1968 first of Desert Solitaire, and the 1975 first of The Monkey Wrench Gang in fine jacketed condition are all collectible, as are the signed limited editions, and signed copies bring a strong premium. To most people these look like any 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 and signed limiteds, protect them, and keep the reading copies in circulation, with any hidden value staying in the book economy here in his desert country.

Why donate instead of selling it yourself

For a confirmed early first or a signed limited, selling on your own can pay well. For the rest — paperbacks, the essay collections, 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 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 702-496-4214.

Are old Abbey books worth anything?

The early firsts (The Brave Cowboy 1956, Desert Solitaire 1968, The Monkey Wrench Gang 1975) and signed limiteds are collectible, signed copies more. They look ordinary — bring it all and let me check.

Paperbacks and essays too?

Yes — the essay collections, worn paperbacks, book-club editions. Just don't throw any of it out first.