I accept William deBuys donations anywhere in the Albuquerque metro with free pickup — the whole collection: Enchantment and Exploitation, River of Traps, Salt Dreams, The Walk, A Great Aridness, The Last Unicorn, and First Impressions. You don't sort or price anything. Bring it all; first printings and signed copies are recognized, and the rest funds New Mexico literacy.
Published June 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project
William deBuys is one of New Mexico's essential writers of land and water — a conservationist who lives in the Río Arriba and whose Enchantment and Exploitation is the classic history of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. His books are read by everyone who cares about the future of this dry country, and when a deBuys 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 New Mexico land books
Enchantment and Exploitation (the Sangre de Cristo history), River of Traps: A Village Life (with photographs by Alex Harris), and The Walk.
The Southwest & water books
A Great Aridness: Climate Change and the Future of the American Southwest, Salt Dreams (the Salton Sea), and The Last Unicorn (the saola of Southeast Asia).
Edited & any condition
First Impressions and the anthologies and edited volumes; plus first printings, signed copies, UNM Press and Trinity University Press editions, and reading copies — bring whatever's on the shelf.
You don't have to know what's valuable
Here's the honest picture: most of deBuys's books are modern and common — but first printings and signed copies are collected, especially Enchantment and Exploitation (1985) and River of Traps (1990), a Pulitzer Prize finalist whose first edition pairs deBuys's prose with Alex Harris's photographs. A non-collector can't always tell a first printing from a later one. That's exactly the distinction I check. Bring the whole shelf and I'll recognize the first printings and signed copies, set them aside, and keep the reading copies in circulation, with any hidden value identified and handled properly.
Why donate instead of selling it yourself
For a signed first you know is special, selling on your own is fine. For the rest — paperbacks and later printings — listing each book is more work than it's worth. 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 any first printing or signed copy 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 William deBuys books in Albuquerque?
Right here — free pickup anywhere in the metro for the whole collection: the New Mexico land books, the Southwest and water books, the edited volumes. Call or text 702-496-4214.
Are William deBuys books collectible?
Most are modern and common, but first printings and signed copies (Enchantment and Exploitation 1985, River of Traps 1990) are collected. Bring it all and let me check.
Paperbacks too?
Yes — UNM Press and Trinity University Press paperbacks and reading copies. Just don't throw any of it out first.
Cite This Guide
Eldred, J. (June 2026). Donate William deBuys Books in Albuquerque — Free Pickup. New Mexico Literacy Project.
https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/donate-william-debuys-books-albuquerque
Licensed under CC BY 4.0.