Cover: July 19, 1999
"Superstores, for better or worse, have changed the book business as profoundly as anything since the advent of the paperback. For independent bookstores, the facts are grim. Unlike mall chains, Barnes & Noble invaded the urban centers and college towns - and independents' turf - and small stores folded in droves." Says B&N chief Leonard Riggio, "Our stores are so big, we feature more books than anyone. There are whole sections in our stores that are bigger than the whole independent stores themselves� From the things they write about me, you would think I wake up in the morning thinking about who I am going to kill. I wake up looking to do some good! We are selling books. We aren't selling weapons of mass destruction."
From "Barnes & Noble's Jekyll and Hyde," from the July 19, 1999 issue of New York.
• New York's Power Siblings, November 18, 2002