Barnes & Noble, Inc. is the largest United States specialty book retailer, operating chiefly through its Barnes & Noble Booksellers chain of bookstores and is headquartered in New York City.

The company operates Bookstop, Bookstar and B. Dalton Booksellers chains in some markets. These stores are smaller, being found in outdoor strip malls and shopping malls. The company is known for large, upscale retail outlets, many of which contain a café serving Starbucks Coffee, and for competitive discounting of bestsellers.

Most stores also sell magazines, newspapers, DVDs, graphic novels, gifts, games, and music. Video games and related items were sold in the company's GameStop retail outlets until October 2004, when the division was spun-off into an independent company.

As of January 31, 2004, the company operated 840 stores in 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. It plans to open 30-35 new stores every year.

Barnes & Noble originated in 1873 when Charles M. Barnes opened a book-printing business in Wheaton, Illinois. The first true bookstore was set up by his son, William, in partnership with G. Clifford Noble, in 1917 in New York City.

The original bookstore was located at 31 West 15th St. In 1932, the bookstore was moved to its current flagship location on 18th street and Fifth avenue.

The business was purchased in 1971 by Leonard Riggio, who oversaw the growth of the struggling[citation needed] business. B&N's critics claim[citation needed] it has contributed, along with online retailer Amazon.com, to the decline of local booksellers. In 2002, Leonard Riggio's brother Stephen Riggio was named CEO.

The chain opened an online bookstore in 1997, largely to compete with Amazon.com.