I accept Nash Candelaria donations anywhere in the Albuquerque metro with free pickup — the whole collection: the Los Rafa quartet (Memories of the Alhambra, Not by the Sword, Inheritance of Strangers, Leonor Park) and the story collection The Day the Cisco Kid Shot John Wayne. You don't sort or price anything. Bring it all, including the older paperbacks you might not recognize; the 1977 Cibola Press first of Memories of the Alhambra is scarce and collectible, so I check everything and the rest funds New Mexico literacy.
Published June 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project
Nash Candelaria's family roots run deep in Albuquerque — Los Candelarias is one of the city's oldest names — and his Los Rafa novels trace a New Mexican Hispano family across generations. He's a pillar of Chicano literature, and his shelves turn up across the metro. 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
The Los Rafa quartet
Memories of the Alhambra (1977), Not by the Sword (1982), Inheritance of Strangers, and Leonor Park — the multigenerational New Mexico saga.
The stories
The Day the Cisco Kid Shot John Wayne and the other short fiction and uncollected work.
Any condition
The scarce Cibola Press first, the Bilingual Press and Arte Público reprints, signed copies, worn paperbacks, 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 1977 first edition of Memories of the Alhambra was published by Candelaria's own Cibola Press — a self-published first with a small print run — so a true first is genuinely scarce and collectible, especially signed. By contrast, the later Bilingual Press and Arte Público reprints that kept the book in print are common, and to a non-collector the two can look much alike. That's exactly the distinction I check. Bring the whole shelf and I'll recognize the Cibola Press first, protect it, and keep the reprints in circulation, with any hidden value staying in the local book economy.
Why donate instead of selling it yourself
For a confirmed Cibola Press first, selling on your own can pay. For the reprints and paperbacks, listing each book 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 scarce 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 Nash Candelaria books in Albuquerque?
Right here — free pickup anywhere in the metro for the whole collection: the Los Rafa quartet and the Cisco Kid stories. Call or text 702-496-4214.
Is an old Memories of the Alhambra worth anything?
The 1977 Cibola Press first (self-published, small run) is scarce and collectible, signed more; the Bilingual Press/Arte Público reprints are common. Bring it all and let me check.
Paperbacks too?
Yes — Bilingual Press paperbacks and reading copies. Just don't throw any of it out first.
Cite This Guide
Eldred, J. (June 2026). Donate Nash Candelaria Books in Albuquerque — Free Pickup. New Mexico Literacy Project.
https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/donate-nash-candelaria-books-albuquerque
Licensed under CC BY 4.0.