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: I check every book by hand, and readable copies go back to readers.
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.
Why bring the whole shelf
Donating takes one call or text: no research, no pricing, no listings, no shipping. Free pickup in the Albuquerque metro, or the covered 24/7 drop box outside the gate at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, any hour. I check every book by hand, readable copies go back to readers, and no readable book goes to the landfill. Here's where donated books go.
How free pickup works
Call or text 505-250-3804 (or schedule online), tell me roughly how much there is and where you are, and I add you to the next route through your area. 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 505-250-3804.
Can I drop Nash Candelaria books off instead of waiting for a pickup?
Yes. The covered 24/7 drop box outside the gate at 5445 Edith Blvd NE takes them any hour, and someone is at the warehouse from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. to help unload a bigger load.
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.