John K. King Used & Rare Books
Best Bookstore in Detroit · MI
A million books in an old glove factory
John K. King Used & Rare Books fills a four-story former glove factory near downtown Detroit with more than a million books across a thousand subjects. John King started selling out of his mother's basement in the 1960s and built one of the largest used bookstores in the country, deliberately uncomputerized to preserve 'the thrill of the hunt.'
A maze of creaking floors and hand-lettered signs, the store is a destination for bibliophiles worldwide — a Detroit landmark where getting pleasantly lost among the stacks is the whole idea.
Every award, on the record.
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2025 Centurion Award
Best Bookstore in Detroit Detroit, MI · Awarded under the 2025 evaluation View the 2025 award →Awards run one calendar year and renew only if the business clears the bar again. Selection is by published criteria, never for sale.
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This page was published by The Centurion Awards from the public record; the business did not have to apply for it to appear. Own this business? Claim the listing to manage it, or ask us to remove it.
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