SCORE ANOTHER 1ST FOR SHY, QUIET JOYCE MESKIS

Flanked by her lawyers, surrounded by black-and-white photographs of
notable authors such as Amy Tan and Robert Parker and confronted by a
voracious media, the undisputed victor in Case No. 01SA205 seemed more
embarrassed than triumphant.

Looking more like a shy grandmother than an unbending crusader for the
First Amendment, 60-year-old Joyce Meskis explained, "I have a great
discomfort with personal attention."

Which was rather unfortunate for her, since that's what was being heaped
upon her in the wake of the Colorado Supreme Court's decision in her favor.
By a unanimous 6-to-0 decision, the Court overturned a previous ruling and
freed Meskis's Tattered Cover bookstore from revealing to police which
books were purchased by a man suspected of operating a methamphetamine lab.

After a two-year legal battle that centered around First Amendment rights,
Meskis had, in the words of attorney Rick Kornfeld, "hit a home run." Not
only that, her single-minded persistence had been specifically singled out
by the Court, whose 51-page decision noted: "Had it not been for the
Tattered Cover's steadfast stance, the zealousness of the City would have
led to the disclosure of information that we ultimately conclude is
constitutionally protected."

Not that those who know the Chicago-born would-be
math-teacher-turned-librarian and divorced mother of two were surprised.

"I think Joyce's belief in the First Amendment and freedom of expression is
so absolute that her willingness and interest in seeing this case through
to the end was never in doubt, not at all," said Cathy Langer, a buyer for
the Tattered Cover, who has worked for Meskis for 25 years.

During a Monday press conference, Meskis winced when she was asked if she
felt like a First Amendment "hero," but Dan Recht, her attorney, disagreed.

"She is a hero, despite what she says," insisted Recht, "and she deserves a
lot of righteous credit."

Then, without warning, Recht turned and planted a kiss on Meskis's cheek,
an act that caused her cheeks to glow plutonium-red.

Meskis's embarrassment is understandable. According to friend and Tattered
Cover partner John Hickenlooper, "If it were up to Joyce, she would never
be involved in something like this. She values her privacy."

Privacy aside, there was nothing embarrassed about her tone when she told
the media crowd at the Tattered Cover in LoDo that "The First Amendment is
the bedrock of our governmental system. It's one of the most beautiful
things about living in the United States."

Meskis's First Amendment reverence has led to a passel of honors, including
the Colorado Language Arts Society's 2001 Intellectual Freedom Award and
the 1996 William J. Brennan Jr. Award for "extraordinary devotion to the
principles of free expression."

Ever since she purchased the Tattered Cover in 1974 and turned it from a
950-square-foot afterthought in Cherry Creek to its iconic status as the
one of the largest independent book-selling operations in the country,
Meskis has been quietly unbending in freedom-of-expression issues.

In 1981, for instance, she sued -- successfully -- the Colorado Legislature
when one of its laws banned a display of books containing sexual content in
stores open to children. After that, she became a founder of Colorado
Citizens Against Censorship.

Moreover, when Islamic fundamentalists were issuing threats to bookstores
that sold Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses, Meskis refused to pull it from
her shelves.

She has been equally adamant about not caving in to pressure from groups
who took umbrage at the authors who came to the Tattered Cover to sign
their books. Whether she received threats or just strenuous pressure from
people protesting the appearances of anyone from pro-gun rocker Ted Nugent
to former first lady Hilary Clinton, Meskis stood firm.

Still, she shows compassion to those who oppose her.

Several years ago when former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich came to
the Tattered Cover to sign his book, protesters stood outside voicing their
objections.

"But it was a very hot day, so Joyce made sure that we served (them)
water,"Maupin said.

Meskis's concern extends to her employees, said Langer. "She meets every
new employee, and their first day one of the job is spent with Joyce. She
talks to them about the store and its philosophy."

Not that she'll confine her discussions about her store and her philosophy
to employees.

"I'm happy to talk to you about being a bookseller," she said to reporters
after yesterday's press conference. "But I'd rather not talk about myself."

She looked around the room at the journalists, lights and cameras and then
said with a moue, "This is not what I had in mind when I got into the
business."

And now that she can get back to the business of selling books, how does
Meskis feel about her legal victory?

"My reaction is relief, absolute relief," she said. "Two years is a long
time to be working on this. But this was not one person's effort. . . .
There were a lot of wonderful people who offered words of support, and
financial support. This came out of the concerns of the community."