King's English Bookshop

Nestled in the heart of the charming Sugar House neighborhood, The King’s English Bookshop is a true haven for book lovers. This delightful little spot invites you to discover your next favorite read while browsing through an eclectic selection of books and unique gifts. Picture yourself relaxing in the lovely yard, nestled on a cozy bench, surrounded by literary treasures and good vibes. You'll find the shelves always brimming with new releases, just waiting for you to take them home. Plus, the warm and knowledgeable staff are eager to share their recommendations, making your visit an enriching experience. When hunger strikes, don’t worry, you’ll find a variety of fantastic eateries just across the street, perfect for grabbing a bite. And for those who live nearby, the bike-friendly roads make it easy to pedal your way to this bookish oasis. Don’t miss out on this wonderful gem; it’s time to dive into a world of stories!

King’s English Bookshop earns a solid 4-star rating as one of the stronger independent bookstores in Utah. The primary strength here is curation. The selection is thoughtful and well balanced, with a strong emphasis on contemporary literature, quality nonfiction, and works that reflect serious engagement rather than mass-market filler. Shelves feel intentional, and browsing rewards time and attention. The atmosphere is calm, welcoming, and intellectually grounded. This is a bookstore designed for readers who want to linger and discover rather than rush. The space supports browsing well without feeling precious or staged. Staff are knowledgeable and engaged. Recommendations feel informed and credible, rooted in familiarity with the inventory rather than sales pressure. That human element meaningfully elevates the experience. Pricing aligns with expectations for a quality independent bookstore. You are paying for curation, expertise, and a well-maintained space, and the value is clear if those things matter to you. What keeps this from a higher tier is scope. While the selection is strong, it is not expansive enough to rival the very best destination bookstores nationally. This is an excellent regional shop rather than a singular national draw. Worth the miles.

Such a cute little local indie bookshop. It seems small on the outside but you could get lost in the rooms full of books. Any book lovers dream. They also put on great bookish events if you follow them!

A visit to this bookstore was truly majestic and magical. I’ve always loved charming bookstores like this that have been around for along (I think since 1977) and so many hidden treasures can be found here! I can’t wait to visit again soon and really take in the experience even more. Plus I visited this location for my birthday! Thank You for such a relaxing experience for my special day!

An amazing place with a wonderful selection of books. The staff is very knowledge and will help find a book you like better than Netflix can find a show you'll like. They have authors come into the shop and other creative activities throughout the year. I highly recommend.

Cutest book store ever. I had been excited to come here for a while and it absolutely did not disappoint. Every worker I interacted with was absolutely lovely.

Such a nice, cozy indie bookstore! I went for an author event & it was fantastic. Looking forward to returning & spending more time browsing!

Great little store that has lots of recently released books as well as some harder to find genres. I highly recommend paying them a visit. There are some spots that feel a bit claustrophobic, but they are easy to avoid if you're just looking for the more common books.

So much to see, smell, feel, and READ! This place is a hub of activity, delightful textiles, colorful arrays of gifts, & a plethora of books in alcoves throughout every nook! We were free to browse at our own pace, and when we were ready, the store manager helped us out! Ironically he previously lived in the region we were from...so fun to find connections!! Hidden gem...enjoyed!!

Words can't express how much love I have for this book store! It's a beautiful space that I could get lost in for hours. It's a small shop, but it has so many wonderful options! The bookstore is quaint and bright and the employees and the owner are so kind and helpful. My friend and I got to chat with Calvin, the owner, for quite some time and hear some of his wonderful recommendations. They have staff recommendations scattered throughout the store, which I always appreciate! You can pre-order books to pick up here, which is was my friend did, and you can also order books online or through their store if they don't have them in the store. Support your local book stores! They are such treasures to our community. There's a separate kids space and a wonderful selection of adult books as well. They also have lots of events at the store for both kids and adults.

Whenever I travel, I make a point to visit the local bookstores in the area and knew when I was in SLC that I had to stop at The King's English. Featured in Publisher's Weekly, this store has been a fixture in the literary scene since 1977, and their longevity is one to be admired. I was immediately impressed with the layout of the bookshop as well as the excellent selection of local history, bestsellers, classics and gifts. I had a wonderful conversation about one of the local authors and was truly treated like a valued customer. I picked up three new releases and a book about the history of neon in Utah. I will definitely be stopping in during future trips through Utah as this experience was well worth the side trip on my way to Wyoming.

Surprisingly wide selection considering how small this bookstore actually is! Employees are as friendly and well-read as you would hope bookstore staff to be. I passed by multiple instances of employees giving thoughtful book recommendations to customers and it made my heart happy. They also help organize a number of book clubs if you're local! As for the layout, it's cramped and you will undoubtedly have to squeeze past numerous people if you visit on a weekend. It's just part of being a small neighborhood bookstore. Personally, I find the nooks and crannies of local bookstores to be quite charming.

The best little independent bookstore Utah has to offer. They have a great selection of guest authors that come on their cute outdoor patio & on Sundays local artists do pop-up shops I believe! The street parking is always available, but it is a bit of an uphill walk from the nearest bus stop. Worth the exercise though!

Not sure how I managed to miss reviewing this, but this is another of the kind of hidden gems in Salt Lake, nestled away in the ever-awesome section of 15th & 15th. The inside reminds me a bit of an eclectic maze and it's clear this place is all about discovery and exploring, wandering around to find some really unusual or cool new thing. I happened to be searching more along the lines of a syringe in the narrowness of scope and wasn't wholly surprised to not find it (I'm sure they would have ordered it for me, staff is incredibly friendly and helpful), but it was still highly enjoyable to wander. There is also a back patio, nice and shaded, where you can lounge and read or perhaps chit chat a bit, which is another very nice touch. This is as much adventure, I think, in many respects, as it is a bookstore as I ran across a number of titles I've seen nowhere else, which I always enjoy coming across. Small wonder they've been around as long as they have...

Trendy bookstore for the pretentious white liberals of SLC. Small selection, no parking, no actual bookstore charm. If you're looking for a specific book that's good enough to have been in print for longer than a hamster's heartbeat, it likely won't be found here, but you will get street cred from your fellow self-flagellating leftist cult members for shopping at an approved stockist. Associates were friendly though, so there's that.

As a general rule, I'm dealthly allegic to cults. Religious or political, any organization that claims to understand how this whole life thing works, why we're here, how we should be governed or where we're headed at the end, these people need to go. They ruin it for the rest of us. With one exception -- maybe two: bookworms and audiophiles. Many music snobs rub me wrong, but when it comes to book lovers, I'm 100% ready to attend services, and The King's English is a true house of worship. You'll know this immediately, wandering the pews of shelves, everything hand selected by people who know literature, and understand that in an era of digital schlock, there's nothing more transcendent or rewarding than a great page-turner. Good people read books. Good people have a mask policy that extends to everybody during a pandemic, so mask up, and be considerate of those with poor immunities. Mask up, buy a great book or three, and support the only cult we should all get behind right now: independent bookstores.

My favorite indie in SLC (and Utah). Generally very well curated with a staff that is both knowledgeable and passionate. My spouse and I always find titles that we weren't planning on getting but do so upon discovery. The beginning of the pandemic was a rough go (for everyone!), but the booksellers have definitely found their footing with in-person and online orders. I've ordered and bought a ton throughout and they've always been kind, patient, and understanding.

Lovely bookstore with new books. Nice selection. Staff were nice. Felt like the guy was super friendly and then we checked out and we were scooted out. Maybe we didn't buy that much? Support local

This is such a lovely bookstore with a large variety of genres to choose from. Books are displayed well, the staff are friendly and professional, and the space is clean. The layout of the store is a bit confusing when you first go but it is still functional and doable. Love going to this bookshop!

On my most recent trip to SLC, a gentleman I had a couple cocktails with suggested this bookstore to me. So, of course, I made a point to visit the bookstore the next day. It's fantastic!! The King's English has a neighborhood bookstore feel, tons of diverse and interesting books in stock, and a friendly, enthusiastic, and genuinely NICE staff. After browsing a while, I asked a lady who works at the store about local authors. She patiently walked me through various sections of the store, telling me about the authors, their styles, and the subject matter of their books. I bought three local novels--including an LDS murder mystery, which I have yet to read but am very excited by. And when I was checking out, the gentleman who rang me up told me about another bookstore I might enjoy--and gave me comprehensive driving directions (I'm hopeless with directions, though, so I had to use GPS anyway). Great store, great people. Wish I could go back!

Hidden gem. What a pleasant surprise. A local pointed us to this book store in the 15th and 15th area. My wife and i were so happy to shop this neighborhood bookstore. We will definitely be making this our first stop for all things books once we move here. Support the town. You won't be disappointed with this cute, charming, and warm bookstore.

Thank you thank you thank you to the amazing employee who helped me jump my car today after I picked up a book. It was a million degrees out (and masks only make heat worse) but he totally saved me. They are working hard her packing up orders and putting them out for pickup, and I'm sure he had much better things to do than help me. But I appreciate it!

I received *the best* customer service today from The Kings English Bookstore! I had pre-ordered a book and received an email asking me to confirm some details. I almost emailed them back, but I decided to call and I'm so glad I did. I was put in touch with Kim, who not only sorted everything out, but we had the loveliest conversation about independent bookshops, Utah and traveling! I'm not located near SLC, but I would totally buy books from here again. Jeff Bezos doesn't need your money -- shop small and support independent bookstores like this one! Thanks again, Kim!

What a quaint little bookstore! They aren't allowing people inside because it's so small, and the pandemic. But they were so quick a friendly and had exactly what we were looking for.

Hmm, a little underwhelmed by this bookstore. Really no place to sit down and relax and flip a few pages of a book. They do have an extensive children's collection which is nice. Staff seemed friendly too. Might give this place another shot.

This place gets props for sheer awesomeness of design and the kids section. It looks like the support a lot of local movements too. My only suggestion - a larger used book section and more foreign language choices for the kids.

This indy bookstore has many author book readings and signings--mostly local authors! Sometimes they host discussions in their store. Or next door at the art gallery. Or at libraries. They have a good newsletter, email notification system, and newspaper calendaring. They offer customer rewards for frequent buyers. Their children's section is charming. The employees are usually very helpful. Parking and personal space are at a premium during big events, so plan accordingly.

Loved this store so much. I visited on a trip and they have such great different sections for fiction, mystery, psychology, history, politics, etc. great cookbook section and adorable children's section that I explored for a long time. Very cute little chairs for visiting kids and amazing puzzle selection. I would have gone into bankruptcy if I had stayed too much longer

I live in California and called ahead of time to ask if I could order a book and get it shipped to my friend who lives in Utah. The friendliest most helpful person answered the phone and let me know I could use their website to order! The website was easy to use, they had the book I wanted (The Alchemist), AND- they were kind enough to inscribe a message for me. Through their online portal, I see they offer workshops and book club like events. I stumbled upon a gem of a bookstore and hope to visit in person one day!

A really cute bookstore and actually super famous. It's considered a must see in the country. I would agree with that. When you walk in it is hard to get around due to how popular it is, but don't let that deter you. Go in it's worth it! The whole store has so much character and tells a story of its own! Just to see the Children's area in the back is worth the visit. It's like a fairy tale set up. There aren't many stores left like this one and supporting it is well worth it. They have a massive selection of books and the people running the store know everything about books. They even have a cool option to "take a blind date home" for $1. You buy an unreleased book for charity but you don't know what you're getting. It's fun and you feel like a community in the store. Great book store with an awesome feel to it.

Ahhh the smell of books, wall to wall--nothing beats it. If the King's English could pack the smell of their bookshop into a candle, I would burn that ish all day long while reading piles of paperbacks. I'm a sucker for independently owned bookstores, and this is easily one of the best I've ever explored. Tons of books in every genre imaginable, tons of cute and punny knick knacks for all ages, and an AWESOME kids section that had me ready to make a litter of children so I could read to them all. The staff is super knowledgeable and always ready to drop knowledge...and a few recommendations, too.

One of the cutest little bookstores I've been into in a long time. The staff is uber friendly and they seem to have a wide selection from fiction all the way down to a super adorable childrens section. If you're in the area looking for a unique gift, they have a lot of those too, so stop in and check it out.

One of my favorite book stores in Utah! The employees here are very kind - they interact with the kids, offer help finding books & suggesting things you may like, and just seem genuinely interested in providing a good experience. The store is great as well - broken up into several rooms with stairs up & down, creaky wood floors, and a very cute kids section with a treehouse decoration... The whole place feels very warm and cozy.

Yes, I love independent bookstores and believe in supporting them. And, this one sure is cute and friendly, but it's nothing but list prices as far as the eye can see. Which isn't far due to all the nooks and crannies and twists and turns of this teensy shop. If it were my neighborhood bookshop, I would be happy to give them my business regularly, but when I'm just passing through, I can't justify paying full price. Their fiction section has most of the usual suspects, so you will probably find what you are looking for. But $14 for a slim Penguin paperback John Steinbeck? Not going to happen. I found their history section to be anemic, but they have a whole attached storefront for children's books. Also, they were highlighting some New York Review of Books editions in a special display, and I love that collection. Too bad that they didn't have the Simenon for which I've been looking. It's next-door to Mazza, which seems great, except that they are both out in the boonies of Salt Lake City. On the upside, I'm still a little bit in love with the adorable brunette, Harvard-tshirted clerk who asked me if I was finding everything okay. If anyone knows her, tell her that I'm sorry for responding in babbles and grunts, but it's really her fault after all.

King's English is probably my favorite bookstore ever. They have a great selection; you can find pretty much everything from fairly obscure poetry to recent major releases. Everybody who works here is very nice and helpful. I'd recommend it to anybody.

Love, love, love this place. Unequivocally one of the finest bookstores in the world. Wonderful atmosphere, staff, and selection.

I wanted to support a local book store. Mostly because I don't want them to go away!! The Kings English is a delightful store. I've had nooks delivered to my home with free delivery. And today I ordered a book with minimal shipping costs to be sent to a friend. And I have a feeling this book would not have been available in a large chain store. Thank you!

I'm sure this is a very lovely neighborhood bookstore, but like many such bookstores it is kind of small. They do have book-clubs, a good selection of favored new fiction, and so on, but it will neither fulfill your craving for a well-stocked chain bookstore nor for, say, Chicago's Seminary Co-Op.. If I lived within walking distance, I might find myself strolling through here frequently.

Great Service And Great Assistance by the owner who runs the shop extremely helpful for ordering my books half way from around the world that I ordered and required certain editions, they had only one and then they ordered the remaining books and a friend of mine who was visitings states picked up for me. I found that very kind and generous help maybe it is standard in states or the ethics thing but man I was truly amazed at the response time and availability of books made possible for me. Whenever the next time, Im visiting states I will visit The King English bookshop in salt lake city just to see it in person and for duh purchasing.

I love this bookstore. They're always really helpful and nice, they're great at recommending books or products to me without being pushy, and most importantly you can tell they love what they do! They have a really good selection of books, I even called for a book light, which they have, among tons of other stuff. They will also order any books for you if they don't have it immediately in stock. I will continue to support and purchase from this business over ordering any bookish stuff off of Amazon any day.

I hadn't heard of this bookstore, but my retired librarian mother and her fellow retired librarian friend who came into town of course discovered it. It's WONDERFUL. They have a great selection, it's jam packed with great books, the children's area is well stocked, and it's just a funky independent bookshop that I hope stays in business forever. I bought a cookbook because that's the best type of book to buy (ok, that's not really true) and will definitely be back.

How sweet is this little corner neighborhood bookstore! They really know their stuff. They get great artists to come and speak. The place feels quaint and special and gracious. Very knowledgable help. They have story hour every day at 11:00 I think and our 5 year old loves it! It is an inspiring place! Absolutely charming! Every neighborhood should have one! Lucky for us we do!

I miss visiting the store in person! But am so thankful that their online ordering, check out & pickup are amazing. Great communication of order status throughout the process. Love to be supporting small business in my community!

Love, love, love this place. It's everything you want and need in a bookstore. Great selections, recommendations and atmosphere.

If you don't make it out of this bookstore without at least one book, you have my praise. This is about the best bookstore out there, coming from someone who has been to A LOT of bookstores around the US. They always have an amazing selection and will find something that perfectly fits what you want in a book, as well as making your 'to read' list twice as long.

Changing this to one star because It has been 10 days, and I only have half of my order. The sales lady promised me a delivery 5 days ago, and I got HALF of it today. Fed up.

This shop is my happy place. I could wander around this adorable local bookstore for hours and still not want to leave.

Wow! What a pretentious pile of dung. Their local author offerings are slim. Also, it's largely a children's bookstore for aging soccer mom's. If you fit that description, you'd probably love it there.

This is the best bookstore in the valley. They always have a great selection and what they don't have is usually order-able and able to be picked up in less than a week. Their staff is always knowledgeable.

Thanks to the Shop Local Pledge I decided to try out King's English instead of the slightly closer chain bookstore. I have to say that I was far from disappointed. Before I even went in, I called to make sure they had what I was looking for. They found it quickly had had it ready for me at the desk when I walked in the door. And the best part is that the prices were the same or lower than the chain bookstore. From the first moment I walked in the door I was greeted with friendly faces ready to help me with all my reading needs. The whole bookstore has a friendly, cozy feeling with several places to sit and get started reading that next big book. As I was walking through I kept finding groups of people excitedly talking about great books they were reading and what was up and coming. Before I left I made sure that I asked one of the employees what books they had been reading and what they would recommend. I got some amazing book recommendations that I had not heard anything about yet. So excited to go back and get more recommendations.

Quaint but nice bookshop located in Salt Lake City. Despite its small size the King's English Bookshop has a good selection of quality books. They also boast frequent readings by noted authors. They are the epitome of the neighborhood bookstore.

What a fantastic place. We stopped by when we drove through SLC on a road trip, and I'm so glad we did. The building was kind of confusing, so we ended up poking our heads into their back offices (we couldn't find the front door). The people in the back were super friendly, and insisted we come in that way (we had our children with us, and the back door's "just by the kids books."). Walking in, we could immediately see that they had a wonderful selection of books for kids of all ages. The staff immediately greeted all of my kids, and one immediately sat down with an impromptu 20-minute-long story time with our oldest. This allowed my husband and I to peruse the rest of the store, where we found an assortment of wonderful titles. The store isn't the biggest, but there was definitely something for everyone. I also appreciated the staff recommendation tags placed throughout the store. We left with a stack of books, a wallet that weighed significantly less, and smiles on our faces. You should visit, even if it means getting to your destination later.

Great shop that has a nice selection of books. Hard to find these days. Enjoy the cozy feel of the shop. Make it a regular when you're in the area. There is something there f or everyone

I'm a fan of small bookshops like this one. So I'll admit to being a bit biased. They carry a unique and peculiar smell that brings back the nostalgia of my childhood. The King's English was, I'm ashamed to say, a bookshop I stumbled upon completely by accident. I discovered them due to their achievement of bringing Chuck Palahniuk (my favorite author) here to Salt Lake City. My daughter and I went to buy the tickets for the Chuck Palahniuk event there and spent about an hour just perusing the books in their children's section. We had so much fun reading some of the stories there but it's more than that. They give off a pleasant feeling of peace, the kind you'd expect from a bookstore - almost a reverence toward reading, if you will. If I were to say something negative it would be that their staff give terrible directions. When I asked how to get to the location of their event, the young lady helping me seemed almost as unfamiliar with the University of Utah's layout as I was. All in all, however, the staff were kind and courteous, the selection of books is excellent for such a small store, and the location is absolutely charming.

This is hands down the cutest and most calming bookshop in Salt Lake. I love everything about it from the cozy house-like exterior to the fun books on display. I swear they only hire people that are 100% in love with literature because every time I've asked an employee about a certain book or recommendation they're always very knowledgeable and helpful in the process. I could spend hours here just sitting around and looking through all their books. Another great thing about this place is they used to communicate with high school English teachers so they could order books for their courses and offer small student discounts. I'm not sure if they do that any more but it was great for me! The only thing that I even remotely dislike about this place is they don't have a huge selection for books which is understandable because the shop itself isn't very big. This only presents an issue if you're looking for a specific book here which they might not carry. However, if you're looking for just an fun assortment of books and some really great suggestions this place can definitely provide that!

Awesome local bookstore. There is so much character and their book selection is very good. Also they have an adorable children's area as well! I would highly recommend you make this your local go to bookstore.

This is by far my favorite bookstore. The atmosphere is cozy and great. I love the various rooms and the different feel for each genre area. The staff is super friendly and helpful, not to mention very knowledgeable and passionate. They have a great selection of small press and local authors as well as your standard fair. They also have great recommendations for excellent reading you might not know about otherwise. Furthermore, they host great author and book events every single week. Parking can sometimes be problematic if there are events going on, so plan to come early. The pricing is a bit higher than your chain stores, but that's to be expected at a small independent bookstore. I still purchase from the chains just because it allows me to get more books for the money, but for the experience, King's English can't be beat. I am always one to recommend King's English to anybody in the area. The first time you go, it may be a little tricky to find (it's tucked up in a residential area), but once you've gone once, you'll want to go back. :)

Yes, the store is small-ish, but i like that in a bookstore. Give me a maze, with creaky floors and hidden treasures, and I'm happy. The staff is super friendly and helpful. Also, the store is on the same block as a couple fantastic restaurants. It's fun to cruise through the bookstore while waiting for a table. P.S. I actually got down on one knee and read poetry to my SO here. Not only did the staff not bat an eye, but the whole thing was sort of an attempt to embarrass him, and the usually-easily-mortified SO absolutely LOVED it. So I guess it's sort of a mellow-you-out environment.