Ninety-two years ago today, over 250,000 spectators gathered at John Brown & Co.’s shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland to witness the RMS Queen Mary, which would go on to become one of the most celebrated ocean liners to ever cross the Atlantic. We currently have an original mid-1930s Cunard White Star promotional brochure for sale—the exact brochure passengers held in their hands before stepping aboard.

"While community walks and fundraisers are vital, events of this scale require open communication and coordinated traffic planning. When permits are approved without basic business notifications or access corridors, small businesses bear the cost. Here is an update on Saturday’s closures and what to know for future visits."

On Saturday, around 2:45 pm, our steadfast brick dividing wall became the victim of a senseless hit-and-run. John King Books is now seeking the driver involved in the hit and run at our downtown store.

John King personally thanks you for keeping us from being violently disassembled!

Metro Detroit, you voted for John K. King Used & Rare books again this year, in Channel 4's Vote 4 The Best 2026! This is a former four story glove factory with something like a million books inside. It has no central air, and every reader who wants the fourth floor climbs every step to get there. For more than forty years the shelves have stayed full and the lights have stayed on. What makes a place like this special is not the building, and it isn't the employees. It's not

We do not know for sure who is putting it down. We are not accusing anyone directly. We are asking every property owner, building manager, and pest control contractor within a few blocks of 901 W. Lafayette to look at what your service is actually using, and where.

Ferndale was a much different place back in the 1980s. It was a sleepy bedroom community filled with aging couples whose children had grown and moved on. At one time, there were four drug stores at the corner of Woodward and 9 Mile, but within a few years, they had all moved out. Up the street from King Books North was another book store, Paperbacks Unlimited. There was a diner in the next block, a magic shop around the corner on 9-Mile, and further down was old Sam’s Jams U

Our book buying this year led us to a great library of a few thousand music books, from Abba to Zevon, and lots of Beatles. A gargantuan collection of Modern First editions that took two months to move, one vanful at a time, is now being processed and many smaller collections have entered our bookstream; one notable book: an early signed Leaves of Grass. Plus, Our art annex is stuffed with vintage art (including many already framed) and ready to fill your apartment walls.

As 2026 opens, we wish to invite you all to visit and review our newest acquisitions. Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year.

On this day, in 1908, Jack Johnson made history when he became the first African-American to win the heavyweight boxing championship.