Donate Sue Grafton Books — Free Albuquerque Pickup

I accept Sue Grafton donations anywhere in the Albuquerque metro with free pickup — the whole collection: the entire Kinsey Millhone "alphabet" series from A Is for Alibi through Y Is for Yesterday, plus Kinsey and Me and her earlier novels. You don't sort or price anything. Bring it all, including the early hardcovers you might not recognize; the 1982 first edition of A Is for Alibi 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

Grafton's readers tend to collect the whole alphabet, one letter at a time over thirty-five years — so a Grafton shelf is usually a near-complete A-to-Y run. When one gets cleared, most people just want it gone and don't want to throw out the scarce early one. 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 1982 first edition of A Is for Alibi (Holt, Rinehart and Winston) is the scarce, collectible one. Its first printing was small — only about 7,500 copies — because it came out before Grafton was a household name, so a true first in fine condition with its dust jacket is sought-after, and signed copies bring more. Later printings and the rest of the alphabet are modest. To most people the first just looks like any old 1980s hardcover, and it gets given away for a dollar. You don't have to learn the points — bring the whole shelf and I'll recognize a true A Is for Alibi first, protect it, and keep the reading copies in circulation, with any hidden value identified and put to work.

Why donate instead of selling it yourself

For a confirmed 1982 first, selling on your own can pay. For the rest of the alphabet — mostly common hardcovers and paperbacks — identifying printings and listing each book is more work than they're individually worth, which is why so many runs 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 Sue Grafton books in Albuquerque?

Right here — free pickup anywhere in the metro for the whole alphabet, A through Y, plus Kinsey and Me. Call or text 702-496-4214.

Is an old A Is for Alibi worth anything?

The 1982 first (Holt, ~7,500 copies) is scarce and collectible, especially jacketed or signed. Later printings are modest. It looks ordinary — bring it all and let me check.

The whole run too?

Yes — the entire alphabet in any format, worn paperbacks, book-club editions, incomplete runs. Just don't throw any of it out first.