New York, NY – January 28, 2009 – Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world's largest bookseller, announced today that it will celebrate Black History Month with events and promotions that recognize the significant contributions by African-Americans to the world's social, political and economic development.  Throughout the month of February, Barnes & Noble will host special Storytimes, promotions and celebrity appearances both in-stores and online at Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com).  Celebrations will also recognize this year's unique significance, as it is also the 200th birthday of President Lincoln and it marks the year of the country's first African-American President, Barack Obama. 

Displays of books, gift items, and CDs and DVDs related to Black History Month, President's Day and President Obama will be featured in all stores and online.  Special store merchandising and promotions will include:

• Exclusive Black History Month gift products.  This year, Barnes & Noble has partnered with acclaimed African-American artist and children's author Synthia Saint James.  Ms. Saint James' Brilliance artwork will be featured on a signature tote bag and a journal, both Barnes & Noble exclusives, as well as on store signage.
• A Black History month table featuring history, literature, biographies, current affairs titles and more, all describing and honoring the black experience in America.
• A Barack Obama Presidential Inauguration table with the best of the many books and products describing President Obama's campaign, election and inauguration, anchored by the new president's own titles, Dreams from My Father and The Audacity of Hope.
• A Lincoln Bicentennial 1809-2009 table with titles that explore President Lincoln's life, presidency, great speeches, and even his marriage to Mary Todd. 

In honor of this unique time in our nation's history, Sterling Publishing, a Barnes & Noble subsidiary, will publish Obama: The Historic Front Pages on February 11.  This colorful, commemorative album of front pages from both domestic and foreign newspapers, captures Barack Obama's extraordinary journey to the White House and features five historic speeches, including "A More Perfect Union," delivered at Constitution Hall, Philadelphia, March 18, 2008.  This stunning keepsake is sure to become a collector's favorite.

Barnes & Noble stores and Barnes & Noble.com will feature celebrity appearances all month-long, such as:

• "Upstairs at the Square" with author Nikki Giovanni and hip-hop sensation Emmanuel Jal on February 5 at the Union Square store in New York City.   Customers who are unable to attend the event can watch it online at Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com/upstairs) beginning February 6.
• A New York City appearance and signing by Inaugural Poet Elizabeth Alexander on February 24.
• An event with Montel Williams in Santa Monica on February 12.
• Celebrity Storytimes with Synthia Saint James in Glendale and The Grove, Los Angeles, on February 24; Robin Roberts in New York City's Lincoln Triangle on February 17; and Ian K. Smith in the Clybourn Barnes & Noble in Chicago on February 28.

Barnes & Noble.com's B&N Studio will have a Black History Month Channel (www.bn.com/studio) featuring audio and video content including:

• Content on Maya Angelou (Letter to my Daughter), Annette Gordon-Reed (The Hemingses of Monticello), Gwen Ifill (The Breakthrough), Kevin Powell (The Black Male Handbook), E. Lynn Harris (Just Too Good to be True), Kadir Nelson (Change Has Come), and Scout Tufankjian (Yes We Can: Barack Obama's History Making Presidential Campaign).
• "Live from B&N" with Toni Morrison (A Mercy) and Quincy Jones (The Complete Quincy Jones).
• Exclusive "Meet the Writers" audio interviews with James McBride (Song Yet Sung), Randy Jackson (Body With Soul), and Tavis Smiley (Accountable: Making America As Good As Its Promise), Stephen L. Carter (Palace Council), Hill Harper (Letters to a Young Brother and Letters to a Young Sister), Harvey Walden (Harvey Walden's No Excuses! Fitness Workout), and more.
• The February 2 episode of Barnes & Noble Studio's premiere web series "Tagged!" (www.bn.com/tagged) will feature National Book Award winner Annette Gordon-Reed (The Hemingses of Monticello). Gordon-Reed will discuss her books and give her top three reading recommendations for Black History Month.

For more information about all event times and locations, visit the Barnes & Noble store locator at http://storelocator.barnesandnoble.com/.