The Denver Gazette: If books didn’t matter, nobody would try to ban them.

That was the prevailing theme Saturday when the Tattered Cover Book Store hosted a lively panel conversation on the continuing – make that growing – importance of books.

The panel, held in tribute to the franchise’s late founder, Joyce Meskis, included U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, First Amendment Attorney Steve Zansberg and book seller Matt Miller. And it coincided with the May 7 launch of a new collection of essays called “Why Books Still Matter: Honoring Joyce Meskis.” It is edited by Karl Weber, who said of his collection: “With the nation struggling to cope with polarization, disinformation and acrimony, the power of books to inform, enlighten and inspire is more important than ever.”

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