50 Years of Lemuria Books: Here's How Jackson Is Celebrating

Some stores sell books. Lemuria is books — or at least, that's the simplest way to explain what John Evans has built over the last half century in Jackson, Mississippi.

And on Saturday, April 11, the City With Soul is throwing the kind of all-day party that a 50-year run deserves.

A Milestone Worth Celebrating

Since 1975, Lemuria Books has been more than a retail destination. It's been a literary anchor — a place where authors come alive off the page, where a bookseller's moral compass was quietly shaped by Eudora Welty's example, and where a customer can walk in after 30 years and feel like they never left. When asked recently about his staying power, Evans cut right to the heart of it: "Good books. Just the idea that we keep finding good books and finding good friends to bring to our community and share their words."

That's it. Fifty years distilled into one sentence.

Evans has always seen the author visit as something sacred — the moment a book stops being an object and becomes a conversation. "The idea of the author coming to Jackson and the books are shared, signed, read, questioned and answered," he said. "Makes the books come alive. And I think it makes it something other than a product."

Built to Last — But Not Without a Fight

The road to 50 wasn't smooth. Evans nearly didn't make it out of the 1980s. When he made the leap to Banner Hall in 1988, a key business partner backed out just four months before the move. His response? "Don't worry about it. I'm coming." He spent everything he had, bought every book he could, and called it what it was: "the throw out the ace and see if it works."

Then came Barnes & Noble. Then the internet. Then COVID. "I don't want another challenge that hard," he said simply.

What kept Lemuria standing through all of it? "You have to know what your backbone is and what you're really trying to do," Evans said. "And as long as you stick to what you feel is — in our sense — good books, trying to blend what is commercial and what is quality... you will endure."

Evans

Credit: Drew Dempsey

Lemuria woman reading boon on couch with bookshelves behind her

What Success Looks Like After 50 Years

Ask Evans what success looks like now versus 1975 and he pauses before answering. "It looks less scared," he finally says. "I just feel good about the bookstore in this community and why the community cares about it."

He's watched people drive in off I-55 — from Memphis, New Orleans, Birmingham, Dallas — and make Lemuria a deliberate stop. "This is my favorite bookstore," they tell him. He describes a moment that clearly still lands: someone returns after decades away and he asks whether it feels the same. "Most of the time they go, 'Yeah.'"

He's not ready to let go. "I don't think books are going to be replaced," he said. "I could be wrong, but there's always a need for a good used bookstore." And he's honest about his own addiction to the shelf: "Every day it's hard not to find a new book you want to read. And that's vital."

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS - APRIL 11

All Day, All Ages

The celebration kicks off with free entry from 11am to 2pm at Cathead Distillery on South Farish Street. The morning belongs to the kids: storytimes with local authors, book character photo ops, a scavenger hunt, kite flying, food trucks, and live music from T.B. Ledford & The Accumulators and Davis Coen.

The Main Event

At 2pm, ticketed entry takes over and the lineup gets serious. Authors gather to share what Lemuria has meant to them, and live music fires up at 3pm with a roster that reads like a who's who of Mississippi sound: Bobby Rush, the Jacktown USA Band featuring Eddie Cotton, Zac Harmon, Dexter Allen, Rashad the Blues Kid, and Chad Wesley, the Kenny Brown Trio, and Michael Farris Smith & The Smokes, emceed by Lee King. Cathead Distillery will be pouring specialty cocktails for the occasion, including one named for Larry the Lemur, Lemuria's beloved mascot.

All proceeds from the ticketed portion benefit the Mississippi Book Festival, which Evans co-founded and remains deeply proud of. The event is also hosted by the Institute for Southern Storytelling and Frascogna Law Group.

Worth the Drive

This one is for Jackson. But it's also for anyone who has ever made a point to stop at Lemuria on the way through town — and there are more of those people than you'd think. Evans said it best when someone asked him how to build something that lasts: "Not giving up and working your butt off. That's simple. And caring." Fifty years in, Jackson is glad he did.

Tickets and event details are available at visitjackson.com.

Author

Paul Wolf

Paul is the Director of Destination Storytelling at Visit Jackson, managing the website, Soul Sessions podcast, and travel journalism initiatives. Drawing on three decades in communications, he brings expertise in writing, photography, video, and podcasting to showcase what makes Jackson special. When he's not working, Paul enjoys running, exploring the local food scene — great craft beer, coffee and BBQ.

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