barnesandnoble.com Signs Deal for the New York Review of Books' "The Reader's
Catalog"
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 9, 1998-- Online Bookseller
Acquires Exclusive Right to Premier Book
Database
barnesandnoble.com announced today that it has acquired exclusive rights
to The Reader's Catalog.
A sister publication of The New York Review of Books and Granta, The
Reader's Catalog is a thematically organized guide to more than 40,000 of the
best books in print on any subject and includes contributions from many of
America's most distinguished literary, academic, and cultural figures. It
debuted live yesterday on barnesandnoble.com.
The Reader's Catalog, which has been called "the most attractively laid
out and compactly informative guide ... to books that are currently in print"
by The New York Times, is unique in its selection of the most serious,
important, and innovative books published in America, with an emphasis on
independent literary publishers, university presses, and original writers.
Edited by the poet and essayist Geoffrey O'Brien, it provides unrivaled
critical information, as well as wide-ranging introductions to virtually every
one of its 320 subject headings.
"Our goal is to provide readers with the best database about books and
authors anywhere online," says Steve Riggio, vice chairman of Barnes & Noble
Inc. "Adding The Reader's Catalog to our Web site effectively gives us an
editorial board of advisors that is second to none. It's also one of the most
stimulating and useful ways to explore the world of books. By integrating the
content completely throughout our title database, users will have convenient
access to informative commentary and lists of the best books in 320 subject
categories."
"barnesandnoble.com combines its knowledge of bookselling with the best
technology on the Internet," said Rea Hederman, publisher of The Reader's
Catalog. "The Reader's Catalog is unique in selecting books for their quality.
We are delighted to be working with a company which understands that quality
counts."
In addition to being integrated into the barnesandnoble.com database, the
2000-page Reader's Catalog will also be available at barnesandnoble.com as a
stand-alone electronic version that can be browsed or searched by title,
author, subject, or keyword. New introductions, annotations, and extended
reviews will be continually incorporated into barnesandnoble.com, as the
editors of The Reader's Catalog update with new books and reorganizations that
reflect the changing world.
About barnesandnoble.com
barnesandnoble.com offers the largest selection of in-stock titles of any
bookseller online, with over 650,000 titles in its distribution center and
access to over 2 million more from more than 27,000 publishers. It was the
first online bookseller to offer deep discounts, including up to 40 percent
off hardcover books and up to 90 percent on its selection of thousands of
bargain books.
barnesandnoble.com is the exclusive bookseller to America Online (AOL)'s
more than 12 million subscribers (Keyword: bn) and has strategic partnerships
with ten of the top twenty Web sites, including ZDNet, CNN and Lycos. Through
its affiliate network, barnesandnoble.com has established "remote
storefronts," paying the highest commissions with the best reporting tools of
any similar bookseller program in e-commerce.
About Barnes & Noble Inc.
Barnes & Noble Inc. operates 500 Barnes & Noble bookstores and 510 B.
Dalton bookstores. Barnes & Noble stores stock an authoritative selection of
more than 175,000 titles and offer books from more than 27,000 publishers with
an emphasis on small, independent publishers and university presses. Barnes &
Noble is the world's largest bookseller on the World Wide Web
(http://www.barnesandnoble.com), and the exclusive bookseller on America
Online (Keyword: bn). The company also publishes books under the Barnes &
Noble imprint for exclusive sale through its retail stores, mail-order
catalogs, and Web site.
General financial information on Barnes & Noble Inc. can be obtained via
the Internet by visiting the company's investor relations Web site:
shareholder.com.
About The Reader's Catalog
Established in 1989 by Jason Epstein, editorial director of Random House,
and the poet, author, and editor Geoffrey O'Brien, The Reader's Catalog aims
to embody Matthew Arnold's famous ideal -- "Culture: acquainting ourselves
with the best that has been thought and said in the world, and thus with the
history of the human spirit."
-- in a readable, informative reference to the best books in print ranging
from classics of literature to Eastern religion, quantum physics, and the best
comic books available. Over 320 categories, many introduced with informative
text, are organized in an easy-to-use, thematic structure that makes titles
and subjects readily accessible. Many of the individual books listed have been
supplied with concise, descriptive annotations. From introductory knowledge to
expert-level book lists, The Reader's Catalog is not only an essential work of
reference but a pleasure to read in its own right.
CONTACT:
barnesandnoble.com
Ben Boyd
Director of Communications
212/414-6014
bboyd@bnweb.com
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