I accept Mary Austin donations anywhere in the Albuquerque metro with free pickup — the whole collection: The Land of Little Rain, The Land of Journeys' Ending, The American Rhythm, the memoir Earth Horizon, the Santa Fe novel Starry Adventure, and the essays and folklore. You don't sort or price anything. Bring it all, including the early hardcovers you might not recognize; the 1903 first edition is collectible, so I check everything and the rest funds New Mexico literacy.
Published June 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project
Mary Austin was one of the first great nature writers of the American desert — The Land of Little Rain (1903) is a classic — and she spent her later years in Santa Fe, where she helped lead the city's cultural renaissance and built her house, Casa Querida. Her work anchors any Southwest shelf, and when an Austin collection 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
The desert & Southwest classics
The Land of Little Rain (1903), The Land of Journeys' Ending, The Flock, and Lost Borders.
Memoir, poetry & Santa Fe
The memoir Earth Horizon, the poetics of The American Rhythm, the Santa Fe novel Starry Adventure, and Taos Pueblo (with Ansel Adams photographs).
Any condition
The 1903 first, later reprints and paperbacks, the Penguin Nature Classics editions, signed copies, and reading copies — bring whatever's on the shelf.
You don't have to know what's valuable
Here's the reason to call rather than dump: the 1903 first edition of The Land of Little Rain (Houghton, Mifflin, illustrated by E. Boyd Smith) is collectible and increasingly scarce — especially in the original cloth, and dramatically more with the rare dust jacket, with signed copies bringing more. Her other early firsts are sought-after too. The later reprints and paperbacks, by contrast, are common, and a non-collector can't always tell a 1903 first from a reprint. 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 hidden value identified and handled properly.
Why donate instead of selling it yourself
For a confirmed 1903 first, selling on your own can pay. For the reprints and paperbacks, listing each is more work than it's worth, which is why 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, Santa Fe, and the surrounding region, and I handle whole-house and estate cleanouts regularly.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I donate Mary Austin books in Albuquerque?
Right here — free pickup anywhere in the metro for the whole collection: the desert classics, the memoir, the Santa Fe books. Call or text 702-496-4214.
Is an old Land of Little Rain worth anything?
The 1903 Houghton, Mifflin first is collectible and scarce (much more in jacket); later reprints are common. They look similar — bring it all and let me check.
Reprints too?
Yes — later reprints, paperbacks, and reading copies. Just don't throw any of it out first.
Cite This Guide
Eldred, J. (June 2026). Donate Mary Austin Books in Albuquerque — Free Pickup. New Mexico Literacy Project.
https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/donate-mary-austin-books-albuquerque
Licensed under CC BY 4.0.