Donate Frank Waters Books — Free Albuquerque Pickup

I accept Frank Waters donations anywhere in the Albuquerque metro with free pickup — the whole collection: The Man Who Killed the Deer, The Book of the Hopi, People of the Valley, The Woman at Otowi Crossing, Masked Gods, Pike's Peak, The Colorado, and the essays. You don't sort or price anything. Bring it all, including the early hardcovers you might not recognize; the 1942 first of The Man Who Killed the Deer and the early firsts are collectible, so I check everything and the rest funds New Mexico literacy.

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

Frank Waters is often called the dean — or grandfather — of Southwestern literature. He lived for decades near Taos and Mora, and books like The Man Who Killed the Deer and The Book of the Hopi shaped how the whole country understands this region. His shelves turn up across northern New Mexico, and when one gets cleared, most people just want it to land somewhere that honors 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

You don't have to know what's valuable

Here's the reason to call rather than dump: Waters's early firsts are collectible. The 1942 first edition of The Man Who Killed the Deer and the 1963 first of The Book of the Hopi, in fine condition with the dust jacket, are sought-after, and signed copies bring more. By contrast, the long-running Sage Books and Swallow Press editions that kept his work in print for decades are common — and to a non-collector an early first and a later reprint can look much alike. That's exactly the distinction I check. Bring the whole shelf and I'll recognize the early firsts, protect them, and keep the reprints in circulation, with any value put to good use in his home country.

Why donate instead of selling it yourself

For a confirmed early first, selling on your own can pay. For the typical Waters shelf — paperbacks and later printings — identifying which is which and listing each book is more work than they're individually 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, Taos, and the surrounding region, and I handle whole-house and estate cleanouts regularly.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I donate Frank Waters books in Albuquerque?

Right here — free pickup anywhere in the metro for the whole collection: the novels, the Hopi and Pueblo nonfiction, the histories. Call or text 702-496-4214.

Are old Frank Waters books worth anything?

The early firsts (Man Who Killed the Deer 1942, Book of the Hopi 1963) are collectible, signed more; the Sage/Swallow reprints are common. They look similar — bring it all and let me check.

Paperbacks too?

Yes — Swallow/Ohio University Press paperbacks and reading copies. Just don't throw any of it out first.