What to Do With Old Medical & Nursing Textbooks

Bring me every medical and nursing textbook — current editions and outdated ones alike. You don't have to figure out what's still current or what anything is worth; I have a use for the whole lot, and there's almost always something valuable in a medical library. I pick it all up free in Albuquerque. The only thing worth keeping in mind is for your own sake, not the books': don't rely on an outdated edition for an actual medical decision. Past that, just hand me the shelf.

Published June 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project · Free pickup: 702-496-4214

The short answer: bring all of it

People agonize over medical books more than almost any other kind, because they're expensive, they look important, and it feels wasteful to part with them — but also pointless to keep them. Here's the part that settles it: you don't have to make any of those calls. Bring the whole shelf, every edition, and I'll take it from there. There's a use for all of it, and in my experience every box has something worthwhile in it.

About resale value (don't let it stop you)

For the curious: a current edition of a core text — nursing fundamentals, pharmacology, a board-review book — holds real resale value for a short window, the same as any current textbook. Older clinical editions are worth less on the resale market, because medicine moves fast — though landmark and early medical texts are a real exception, and old physics, math, and engineering books are collectible far more often than people expect (see old engineering & science textbooks). But resale value is not the reason to donate, and it shouldn't be the reason to hesitate. Plenty of books with no resale value still have a use, and you're not the one who has to sort which is which.

What's genuinely collectible

Some medical books are collected as rare books entirely apart from clinical use: early editions of Gray's Anatomy, historically important medical works, early surgical and anatomical texts, and finely illustrated anatomical atlases. Vintage anatomical plates have decorative and teaching value even when the text is long outdated. You don't need to spot these yourself — I flag anything antiquarian or beautifully illustrated when it comes in.

The one honest caveat — about care, not disposal

Why nobody else takes them

Nursing and medical schools want only the current edition and won't shelve old ones. Thrift stores reject heavy textbooks that don't sell. Clinics can't use outdated references. So a clinician's life library becomes one of the hardest things to give away despite its original cost — and people end up dumping perfectly useful books out of sheer frustration. That's the gap this service fills: I take what everyone else turns down.

I accept every medical & nursing book

Nursing texts, med-school references, board-review books, anatomy atlases — any edition, any condition — free pickup anywhere in the Albuquerque metro. Current and usable editions go where they help students, GED and adult-education programs, and aspiring health-care workers who can't afford new texts; antiquarian and finely illustrated volumes are set aside; and I have a plan for the rest, including the outdated editions. You don't have to make the call on any single book — that's my job.

You don't have to sort or toss anything

This is the whole point: don't separate the current from the outdated, don't decide what's worth keeping, and please don't throw the old editions in the trash. Bring the entire shelf and I'll route, reuse, and responsibly handle everything on the back end. It all adds up, and there's almost always more value in a medical library than the person clearing it expects.

Frequently asked questions

Are old medical textbooks worth anything?

Current editions have a brief resale window; older ones are worth little. But value isn't the point — bring every edition; there's a use for all of it, and often something genuinely valuable in the box.

Should I bring outdated medical textbooks or throw them out?

Bring them. Don't toss them and don't try to sort them — I have a use for every edition. Just don't rely on an old one for an actual medical decision.

Where can I donate medical and nursing books in Albuquerque?

I accept them all — any edition, any condition, free pickup. You sort nothing. Call or text 702-496-4214.