Barnes & Noble got its start in 1873, out of the Illinois home of Charles M. Barnes. He ran a book business right from his home, and it soon became a family affair; his son got especially involved. In 1917, William, Charles’s son, set off to New York to create Barnes & Noble alongside G. Clifford Noble. On Fifth Avenue at 18th Street, New York, the first ever Barnes & Noble opened in the midst of the Great Depression. In 1971, the company began its steady climb to the top of the book industry when a bookseller named Leonard Riggio merged his book business with the Manhattan Barnes & Noble. In the span of a few years, the Manhattan Barnes & Noble was named “The World's Largest Bookstore,” containing over 150,000 books. Over many years, the company acquired far …show more content…
In 1993, the company became publicly traded and eventually added a website, and even bought the companies known as SparkNotes and Sterling Publishing. In 2009, they launched their own e-reader, the NOOK®, and began profiting off of the millions of e-books sold on their devices a year. As decades upon decades passed, Barnes & Noble continued to grow and even became the number one book retailer in the United States. As of 2019, the company’s assets are worth $3.48 Billion USD and as of 12:43 PM on November 13th, one stock is worth $10.04 USD. The American Economy played a role in getting Barnes & Noble to where it is today in many ways. For example, when the company was first getting its start, it was at the peak of the Great Depression. Prices of books had to be higher so they could actually make a profit, for instance, in the 1930’s, hardcover books were about $2.50, which translates to around $40 in today’s economy. After they managed to prosper during the Great Depression, the company was made even stronger and it even provided them with a lot of recognition in the business