Donate Robert Heinlein Books — Free Albuquerque Pickup

I accept Robert A. Heinlein donations anywhere in the Albuquerque metro with free pickup — the whole collection: the major novels (Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers, Time Enough for Love), the Scribner juveniles, the Future History stories, and the short-story collections, in any edition. You don't sort or price anything. Bring it all, including the early hardcovers you might not recognize; a 1961 first of Stranger in a Strange Land has sold for over $10,000 and looks like an ordinary old book, so I check everything and the rest funds New Mexico literacy.

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

Heinlein was a generation's gateway into science fiction — the juveniles for kids, the big novels for everyone after — so his books fill a lot of shelves and turn up in cleanout after cleanout. Most people clearing one just want the space back and don't want to throw out something valuable. That's exactly what I'm for: I take the whole shelf, 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: Heinlein's true first editions can be genuinely valuable. A 1961 first printing of Stranger in a Strange Land — published by G.P. Putnam's Sons, bound in green cloth, identifiable by the "C22" code at the foot of page 408 and a $4.50 dust jacket — has sold for over $10,000 in fine condition. The early Shasta Press titles (The Man Who Sold the Moon, 1950) and the Scribner juvenile first editions in dust jacket are sought-after too. To most people these look like any other old science-fiction hardcover, and they walk out the door for a dollar.

You don't have to learn the points. Bring the whole shelf and I'll recognize the Putnam, Shasta, and Scribner firsts, check the jackets and codes, protect a genuine first, and keep the reading copies in circulation — with any hidden value supporting literacy instead of disappearing in a giveaway.

Why donate instead of selling it yourself

For a confirmed Putnam or Scribner first, selling on your own can pay. For the typical Heinlein shelf — paperbacks, a few hardcovers, the juveniles — identifying printings 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, and the surrounding metro, and I handle whole-house and estate cleanouts regularly.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I donate Robert Heinlein books in Albuquerque?

Right here — free pickup anywhere in the metro for the whole collection: the major novels, the Scribner juveniles, and the stories. Call or text 702-496-4214.

Are old Heinlein books worth anything?

The true firsts can be — a 1961 Stranger in a Strange Land has sold for over $10,000, and Shasta and Scribner firsts are sought-after. They look ordinary; bring it all and let me check.

The juveniles and paperbacks too?

Yes — the Scribner juveniles, worn paperbacks, book-club editions, and incomplete runs. Just don't throw any of it out first.