Donate Leslie Marmon Silko Books — Free Albuquerque Pickup

I accept Leslie Marmon Silko donations anywhere in the Albuquerque metro with free pickup — the whole collection: Ceremony, Storyteller, Almanac of the Dead, Gardens in the Dunes, the poetry (Laguna Woman), the essays, and The Turquoise Ledge. You don't sort or price anything. Bring it all, including the early hardcovers you might not recognize; the 1977 Viking first of Ceremony and the scarce 1974 Laguna Woman are collectible, so I check everything and the rest funds New Mexico literacy.

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

Leslie Marmon Silko grew up at Laguna Pueblo, west of Albuquerque, and her novel Ceremony is one of the landmark works of Native American literature — read in classrooms across the country and treasured here at home. So a Silko collection is both a local story and a genuinely collectible one. When one gets cleared, most people just want it to go 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: the 1977 first edition of Ceremony (Viking Press), in fine condition with its dust jacket, is collectible, and signed copies bring more. Her scarce 1974 poetry collection Laguna Woman is sought-after in its own right. The hundreds of thousands of later Penguin and school paperbacks, by contrast, are common — and to a non-collector they can look much alike. That's exactly the distinction I check. You don't have to learn it; bring the whole shelf and I'll recognize the early first and the scarce poetry, protect them, and keep the reading copies in circulation, with any value put to good use near the pueblo she came from.

Why donate instead of selling it yourself

For a confirmed 1977 first or the Laguna Woman chapbook, selling on your own can pay. For the common paperbacks, listing each book is more work than it's worth, which is why shelves sit until they're dumped. Donating settles it in one call: no research, no pricing, no listings, no shipping, free pickup at your door, reading copies straight to classrooms and 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 Leslie Marmon Silko books in Albuquerque?

Right here — free pickup anywhere in the metro for the whole collection: Ceremony, Storyteller, Almanac of the Dead, the poetry and essays. Call or text 702-496-4214.

Is an old Ceremony worth anything?

The 1977 Viking first is collectible (jacketed/signed more), as is the scarce 1974 Laguna Woman; later paperbacks are common. They look similar — bring it all and let me check.

School paperbacks too?

Yes — the common paperbacks go right back into classrooms. Just don't throw any of it out first.