What to Do With Old Dictionaries

Most old dictionaries are worth little: they were printed by the millions, and the rare collectible ones are antiquarian editions such as Johnson's 1755 dictionary and Webster's 1828 first edition. A clean, recent dictionary can go to a library book sale, a thrift store or a Little Free Library, while big unabridged volumes and worn copies are harder to place, and paper recycling with the hard cover removed is the fallback. In the Albuquerque metro, I take dictionaries of every kind and condition free, in the covered 24/7 drop box or with free pickup for heavy unabridged volumes. If you've inherited a massive Webster's on a stand, or a shelf of collegiate dictionaries nobody opens anymore, here's exactly what to do with them.

Published June 2026 · By Josh Eldred, New Mexico Literacy Project · Free pickup: 505-250-3804

Fastest way to clear them: the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, a covered box outside the gate, by the road, takes whatever fits, any hour, any condition. Too much for the box? Come 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., when someone is there to help unload, or get on a free pickup route. Directions.

The hard truth about dictionary values

Dictionaries are among the most common books ever printed, and the internet made most of them obsolete overnight. A desk dictionary, a collegiate Webster's or Merriam-Webster, a 1980s unabridged on a library stand: these have essentially no resale value, no matter how impressive they look. They were printed in the millions (its publisher says the Merriam-Webster Collegiate alone has sold more than 60 million copies since 1898), and the used market is saturated to the point that shipping one usually costs more than it's worth.

Which dictionaries actually have value

A few genuinely do, and it's worth knowing the difference before anything leaves your house:

Early American and English dictionaries. A first edition of Noah Webster's American Dictionary of the English Language (1828) is a serious collector item, as is Samuel Johnson's A Dictionary of the English Language (1755). These are antiquarian books, not the kind that turn up in a normal house. A 19th-century date alone doesn't make a dictionary scarce, though. Webster's 1828 first edition was a two-volume set of 2,500 copies, but after his death in 1843, G. & C. Merriam kept revising and reprinting the dictionary for decades, so later 19th-century Webster's are far more common.

Fine Oxford English Dictionary sets. A complete, clean multi-volume OED (the full set, not the compact two-volume edition with the magnifying glass) holds modest value, especially the earlier printings. The compact editions, though beloved, are common and inexpensive.

Specialized and historical dictionaries. Early bilingual, dialect, slang, or technical dictionaries with genuine scholarly importance can interest specialists. Everything else — the overwhelming majority — is reading-copy material at best.

Why nobody else takes old dictionaries

Call a thrift store or library and you'll often hear no. The reasons are practical: dictionaries are heavy and expensive to handle, they take up disproportionate shelf space, they almost never sell, and donation-resale operations are ruthless about what earns its keep on a shelf. Reference books in general (dictionaries, encyclopedias, old textbooks) are the first thing many charities turn away, and Albuquerque's public library lists encyclopedias and textbooks among the donations it does not accept. That's exactly the gap this service exists to fill.

I accept every dictionary

Any kind, any condition: desk, collegiate, unabridged, foreign-language, water-stained, cover detached. I take them all. Heavy unabridged volumes and full reference shelves are exactly the kind of thing I'll come pick up for free anywhere in the Albuquerque metro, so you don't have to haul them. Readable copies are resold, which is what keeps the pickup and drop box free, and the rest are recycled (more on where donated books go). Either way, no book goes to the landfill.

Recycling, as a last resort

If a dictionary is mold-damaged or falling apart and you'd rather handle it yourself, paper recycling is the responsible end of the line. Albuquerque's curbside program lists books and phone books among its accepted materials, and local recycling guidance says to remove the binding from a hardback first, because the glue doesn't recycle with the paper. Paperbacks can usually go in as they are; outside Albuquerque, check your city's accepted list. My guide to book recycling in Albuquerque walks through the steps. When you're unsure, the simplest answer is to hand it to me: I'd rather reuse a usable book than see it pulped, and I'll recycle only what genuinely has to be.

Frequently asked questions

Are old dictionaries worth anything?

Most 20th-century dictionaries have little to no value. Genuine exceptions are early antiquarian dictionaries (Webster's 1828, Johnson's 1755) and fine complete OED sets.

Does anyone take old dictionaries?

Many thrift stores and library sales turn them down, big unabridged volumes especially, though a clean, recent one may find a taker at a library sale or a Little Free Library. I take every kind in any condition in the Albuquerque metro, with free pickup for heavy volumes. Call or text 505-250-3804.

How do I recycle a dictionary?

Paperbacks go in curbside paper; for hardbacks, separate the cover from the pages first. When in doubt, donate it instead.

Is a 19th-century dictionary valuable?

Not automatically. The famous rarity from that century is Webster's 1828 first edition, printed in just 2,500 copies. After Webster died in 1843, G. & C. Merriam kept revising and reprinting his dictionary through the rest of the century, so most later 19th-century Webster's are common.