Square Books

Dear Square Books,
I love you. I have always loved you, even before I knew you existed. You’re everything I pictured a bookstore should be.
The first book I picked up was signed by the author. Then I looked around and realized you’re a treasure trove of signed books. Wait, this author was here, and this author was here, and this one too? It was immediately clear that you are a book palace. I was honored to be able to wander your halls and pretend I was worthy of your fame and splendor.
You’re quaint, you’re charming, you’re all we ever wanted in more. Even though this is well before your time, I picture Faulkner himself sitting on the balcony eating a chocolate chip cookie, constructing Yoknapatawpha. Ok maybe the balcony is a little too functional for his style, but regardless, he would’ve loved you.
I hope you will consider uprooting yourself and landing in Oklahoma City.
Sincerely,
Melissa

A favorite of my teenage boys. And super helpful. They went above and beyond in helping my son locate and out of publication book that he was really hoping to read. A trip to the square is never compete without stopping by.

I loved the atmosphere of this bookstore. When I walked in, I felt like I’d stepped back in time. I know it’s not the only of it’s kind, but I can’t remember visiting another bookstore like this in real life. This is that cute and cozy shop you see in romantic movies where the man of your dreams is waiting to excite you with his love for your favorite author. This is the bookstore around which mystery novels are centered.
My cousin was looking for a specific Christian book so we went upstairs. It was a new release and they had it. In fact, there was a whole section of religious based books that included atheism. Now that’s education.
There was no fanciness, no meddlesome clerk, just book lovers hanging out.

I love to read and had to stop into this bookstore before we went to eat during our visit to Oxford’s square this past Saturday. It is really homey and kind of like going to a familiar family members house to pick out a book. It isn’t too large but they have a surprisingly great selection on its three floors. I was warmly greeted by several staff members during my time in the store browsing. I even got to hear a little of the live reading of To Kill A Mockingbird that they were doing that day. I hope this local, independent book store continues to thrive and I will definitely be visiting it ever time I am in the area.

Enjoyed the atmosphere. Love the location. Large selection comparable to a barnes and noble. Has such a local feel to it that you feel at home.

I absolutely loved this place. This was certainly my second favorite place in all of Oxford (the Tuesday pop up Oxford Farmer’s Market stole my heart). I spent a week (5 days) visiting Oxford and I made sure to be at this place four of them. On my last day in Oxford, I purchased some locally made bourbon pecan Icecream from the counter on the upper level and a book I’d been wanting to read. I literally stayed on the balcony/​porch from 10am to 8pm that night reading and people watching. I must admit that I am a self-​proclaimed bibliophile, so I have no problem spending an entire day surrounded by books. This place had a great selection and a friendly staff who was kind enough to make change for me four times so I could go out money in my parking meter. The set-​up of the place is beautiful as well. The thing that really carved out a place in my heart for this shop was the balcony. I adored my time up there and I know that any trip I make to Oxford in the future won’t be complete with out it!

Fabulous book store! If you don’t have a love for books, a visit to this place may just ignore a new passion! Three levels of books, many signed by authors. Love that they offer books not seen in typical stores and also offer personal reviews and recommendations of books that might otherwise be overlooked. You are welcome to sit and preview a book in the store or purchase the book and enjoy some time on their patio. They also offer a small assortment of coffees. The real treat though really is the variety of books they offer. Surely anyone can find a new favorite for themselves or a friend. Also, check out their kids store and discount store located in different shops within the same square.

The bookstore every town and city needs. From adult to children will find books they want. The staff is amazing and can help you find the book perfect for you to read. Our whole family loves the store

Phenomenal independent book store with incredibly knowledgeable book sellers. The local collection is without doubt tops in the state and the collection of general interest books is top notch. The coffee shop is quaint and perfect, especially considering it is a Cell Phone free zone.

(Hey Lisa — we bought your book! So nice of MIss Jean to introduce us at Snackbar.) We very easily spent an hour in Square Books. We had such a nice time looking around. We bought a composition book to record our travels. There are small corners where you can sit and look at books. I pulled some off the shelves that talked about Mississippi. If I lived in the area I would spend a lot of time there. Thanks for the great Oxford experience.

Support your local, independent book store! This store is tightly packed with books. New books, bestsellers, history, cooking, Southern writers — you could easily spend hours browsing the stacks. At the very least, you should browse the stacks to read the staff recommendation cards. Hilarious. Lots of big time authors come to this very store on their book tours. Check out Square Books Junior for kids across the Square — get those kids interested in reading! There are toys, too.

Obsessed with this place. Great reads, vintage feel, just my favorite place to go. Just applied for a job and would actually and literally shit my pants if I got it.

Independent bookstores are becoming more and more difficult to find because of the overwhelming influence of online mega bookstores like
. Moreover, those independent bookstores that survive usually have small and unspecialized inventories. This is not so for Square Books, which is perhaps the best bookshop in the Southeastern United States.
The customers can be a bit rude to you if they believe you’re an employee. It took me 5 minutes to convince a lady I didn’t work there. The only way she became convinced was when an actual employee walked up and said that I didn’t work there.

Easily one of the best bookstores in America and one of the stalwarts of the great independents. I had heard about this place for years and I made sure to stop in during my recent trip. What makes a great bookstore? It’s more than just books — it has to have character. Like my favorite — Von’s in West Lafayette– Square Books oozes charm and has literally every book possible in every genre with special focus on books related to William Faulkner, Southern literature and culture, and other specialty topics. If I transfer to Olé Miss next year for grad school, I expect this place will be my home away from home,

A classic bookstore in the heart of Oxford. I pondered purchase of a William Faulkner novel before settling on the far more readable Calico Joe by John Grisham. Both authors lived in Oxford at a time and that made it fun to stop here.

This bookstore alone would make a trip to Oxford worthwhile. If you are a bookworm, you will feel the urge to remain here for hours, if not days. The selection of books here is marvelous. Southern lit, with an emphasis on Faulkner of course, takes pride of place, but other sections are also extensive. The place invites a long browsing session punctuated by a moment to relax with a cup of tea on one of the tables on the balcony upstairs overlooking the courthouse and the central square. This is truly a book lover’s bookstore, and a true Oxford treasure!

Great independent bookstore in Oxford, MS. Very old school, and a coffee shop upstairs. A great local selection, and I give them props for putting trash books in a section called «Pop Literature» instead of, you know, Actual Literature. Take that Dan Brown.
A very knowledgable staff, they recommended a Faulkner book to me based on the other books I’d asked about. They couldn’t find the copy of Bukowski’s «Ham on Rye» that their computer said they had, but I don’t suppose it’s their fault someone moved or stole it. They also have a kids bookstore and a used bookstore on the Square.
The place is obviously an institution, and while it’s not quite up there with, say, Elliott Bay in Seattle, it’s a pretty great bookstore.

This really is one of the best independent bookstores in the country. I’ve been to many bookstores in my time but this is certainly among my favorites. The fact that they are still able to survive and prosper in the age of Amazon and ordering cheap books online speaks volumes to how great this place is. I always find interesting and new (to me) books that I never would have thought to even look for if I wouldn’t have found them browsing here.

Square Books is a very small, quaint, unique book store! It is much unlike the big chain bookstores that you normally see, but it does have a huge selection of new and old books. Walking into Square Books is like walking into a 1950’s book store. I like to think that if Winston Groom described it, it would go something like this: Square Books carries fiction books, non-​fiction books, cookbooks, classic books, new books, music books, history books, autographed books… you get the point. I’m sure this would be his kind of bookstore and I bet he would be proud to see Forrest Gump, Shrouds of Glory, Shiloh and Vicksburg, and some of his other books sitting on the shelf.
It is a great place to look for books signed by the authors, as they host a lot of book signings. They also have a section dedicated to everything Mississippi, including, of course, a huge selection of William Faulkner books and books about music and the blues musicians behind it.
If you can’t find the book you’re looking for at Square Books, you can also check out Off Square Books, where we once met Michael Oher, or Square Books Jr, which has a great selection of children’s books and toys.
We could spend hours in here! If you find yourself down in O-​town, step in, give them a friendly «hotty toddy» and spend and hour or so perusing the books, and maybe even treat yourself to an ice cream cone.

Perfect.
I bought a Southern cookbook and a Faulkner book.
I loved this place– truly on the list of independent bookstores that are worth taking a little side trip for. They were open on a Sunday morning (unlike the rest of Oxford), there was coffee, and there were books. This is all I want in life. The atmosphere was adorable, the staff helpful but not intrusive. The exterior of the building was beautiful, truly felt like the South.
One of the better bookstores to be found anywhere.