Video Chronicles Square Books' 30 Years

Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi, which opened on September 14, 1979, marked its 30th anniversary with a sale, parties, readings, and screenings of a short documentary about the bookstore. "We were glad to be able to celebrate," said manager Lyn Roberts. "A lot of the credit for Square Books having been here 30 years goes to our customers and the greater Oxford community who've supported the store for so long. We were happy to involve the community for our anniversary to recognize our 30-year partnership."

A local radio program kicked things off on September 10 with a show dedicated to the store's anniversary. Throughout the weekend, Square Books hosted a cocktail party, a panel on "Oxford Reminiscences" moderated by Barry Hanna, and a screening of the short film about the store's history by Joe York, a documentary filmmaker at the University of Mississippi's Center for Documentary Projects. Square Books also had champagne toasts, cake, and a reading of a serial short story, written for the occasion by 18 local writers.

The short, humorous documentary chronicles Square Books' 30-year history, including photos of its challenging first location, a second-story space with no windows. The film interviews each of owner Richard Howorth's brothers -- and all take credit for giving him the idea to open a bookstore. Howorth, the former mayor of Oxford, said his mother suggested "Poor Richard's" for the store's name, but that was "immediately ruled out."

Customers and authors pay tribute to the store in the 17-minute film, including author Tom Franklin who called the store "a major part of this town." Mystery writer Ace Atkins offered his theory on the store's success: "People frequently talk about all the southern writers who've been here, but what they don't concentrate on is the immense amount of pornography that's kept down in the basement." And customer Ron Shapiro said, "I considered it my college. I feel like because of it, I've become literate, just by osmosis." --Karen Schechner