Barnes & Noble and the Anti-Defamation League Announce Their Unprecedented Campaign, Close the Book On Hate, to Break the Cycle of Prejudice Through Education.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--September 12, 2000

-- Former Senator Bill Bradley Serves As Honorary Chairman

-- Hate Hurts, the Campaign's Key Educational Resource, Published by Scholastic


-- Barnes & Noble Stores Holding Special Programs and Events Nationwide

Barnes & Noble, Inc., the nation's largest bookseller, and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the premier organization in the fight against racism, anti-Semitism and bigotry, will announce this morning an unprecedented and highly ambitious joint campaign entitled, Close the Book on Hate. The purpose of this nationwide effort is to provide children and their parents, caregivers, teachers and civic leaders with the tools, resources and programs they need to better understand and help eliminate prejudice and discrimination in their communities. While the goal of Close the Book on Hate is to gain respect for all types of differences, the campaign emphasizes fighting racism, anti-Semitism and homophobia.

Former Senator Bill Bradley, a longtime advocate of racial unity, is serving as the honorary chairman for Close the Book on Hate. He will make appearances on behalf of the campaign today in New York, beginning at 10 a.m. at the Union Square Barnes & Noble (33 East 17th Street). On Thursday, September 14, Senator Bradley will be in Atlanta at the Cumberland Barnes & Noble (2952 Cobb Parkway).

"Despite the growth of the U.S. economy, advances in technology and our leadership of the free world, hate, racism and bigotry still invade our schools, homes and places of business," commented Senator Bill Bradley. "Now is the time for us to re-commit ourselves to embracing diversity and celebrating our differences. I applaud the work of Barnes & Noble and the Anti-Defamation League to give children and adults the tools they need to make this happen in their own communities and schools."

At the heart of the campaign is ADL's innovative new book, Hate Hurts, co-authored by Caryl Stern-LaRosa and Ellen Hofheimer Bettmann, and published by Scholastic Inc., the leading publisher of children's books. Hate Hurts explores how to answer difficult questions frequently asked by young people, helps caregivers comfort children who are the victims of hate, and offers assistance when working with those who are the perpetrators of intolerance. Hate Hurts will be available for sale at Barnes & Noble stores and on its Web site, http://www.bn.com, as well as other retail and online bookstores.

Another campaign element is a special brochure that Barnes & Noble and ADL have produced, which features a recommended reading list of all the books included in the Close the Book on Hate campaign. The brochure, entitled Close the Book on Hate: 101 Ways to Combat Prejudice, is available for free at all Barnes & Noble stores.

To help make a difference in communities and neighborhoods across the country, Barnes & Noble is teaming up with ADL's 30 local offices to hold special in-store educational programs and events with community leaders and local schools in September and October. During this time, each Barnes & Noble store will dedicate a special display table for works of fiction, non-fiction, photography and poetry that emphasize the importance of valuing diversity for both children and adults. As part of its continuing commitment to the program, all Barnes & Noble stores will have a permanent Close the Book on Hate shelf in the "Parenting" section, starting in November.

For its part, Barnes & Noble.com has launched a Close the Book on Hate boutique, which can be found in "Kids!" and the "Parenting" subject areas. The "Home" and "Bookstore" pages also link to the boutique. The site will feature an interview with Caryl Stern-LaRosa, co-author of Hate Hurts, in "Parenting & Family," which will run from September 12 through 18. In addition, a Barnes & Noble University course, "Hate Hurts: How Children Learn and Unlearn Prejudice," developed by the ADL, will start enrolling online students on September 15. The site will also has links to ADL's (http://www.adl.org) and Scholastic's (http://www.scholastic.com) Web sites.

"Prejudice is a vicious poison that affects all of us, particularly our children," said Leonard Riggio, chairman and chief executive officer of Barnes & Noble, Inc., and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL national director. "The only cure is to replace ignorance with knowledge. If bigots can teach people to hate, Barnes & Noble and the Anti-Defamation League can teach them not to hate. That is what this campaign is all about."

Mr. Riggio and Mr. Foxman added that, "through exposure to good books and discussion, children and their parents will better understand the richness and beauty of our multicultural society. `Close the Book on Hate' will raise awareness of the profoundly personal and social consequences of prejudice, while promoting respect at home, in schools, and in our communities."

In addition to events at all Barnes & Noble stores nationwide, the campaign will concentrate on the following ten key markets in which both Barnes & Noble and ADL have a strong community presence:

Atlanta, Georgia                             Los Angeles, California
Boston, Massachusetts                        Miami, Florida
Chicago, Illinois                            New York, New York
Denver, Colorado                             Washington, D. C.
Houston, Texas                               Westport, Connecticut

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS) operates 551 Barnes & Noble and 379 B. Dalton bookstores, and, with its acquisition of Babbage's Etc. and Funco, Inc., is the nation's largest operator of video game and entertainment software stores. Barnes & Noble stores stock an authoritative selection of book titles and provide access to more than one million titles. They offer books from more than 50,000 publisher imprints with an emphasis on small, independent publishers and university presses. Barnes & Noble is one of the world's largest booksellers on the World Wide Web (http://www.bn.com), and the exclusive bookseller on America Online (Keyword: bn). Barnes & Noble.com has the largest standing inventory of any online bookseller. Barnes & Noble also publishes books under its own imprint for exclusive sale through its retail stores 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: http://www.shareholder.com/bks/.

About Barnes & Noble.com

Barnes & Noble.com is the first online bookseller to offer a vast in-stock inventory with an editorially rich bookselling environment. The company's online catalog includes more than three million titles, including virtually every book in print as well as more than 12 million listings from its nationwide network of out of print, rare and used book dealers. Its lightning fast proprietary search engine enables customers to locate specific titles quickly or to explore books on just about any imaginable topic. With 800,000 titles on its shelves, it now offers the largest selection of in-stock titles of any bookseller online. Encompassing over 30 miles of shelving, it is the largest collection of books under one roof in the history of bookselling. More than 50,000 book publishers, including thousands of small and independent presses, university publishers and privately published books are represented.

Barnes & Noble.com brings the world's best-known bookselling name to the Web with an editorially rich site that includes more than 500,000 synopsis, book reviews, customer reviews, table of contents, articles and interviews. It hosts daily live author chats, bringing readers and writers together in a lively interactive discussion. Customers of Barnes & Noble stores can find a nationwide store directory, complete with driving instructions and listings of local events. Rated No. 1 by Forbes.com as the best bookselling site on the Web two years running, the company strives to become the single best place to buy books online.

Barnes & Noble.com's excellence in e-commerce extends to the music business where it was voted by Forbes.com as the No. 1 music site on the Web. Cited by Forbes.com for being "best-of-class for anyone who wants to learn about the music they're buying" it features a classical music superstore and is distinguished by an emphasis on jazz, world music and Broadway show tunes. As in its book site, Barnes & Noble.com's music site has extensive editorial features from both in-house editors and licensed content.

Barnes & Noble.com is an industry leader in the burgeoning market for electronic books. Its site features more than 4,000 eBook titles that can be viewed on the Rocket eBook portable book reader. The company will dramatically expand its offering for eBooks when it opens its eBook superstore in summer 2000, featuring the new Microsoft Reader platform, which will enable users to download eBooks to any PC, laptop or Pocket PC and open the market for eBooks to more than 100 million users. The company believes that in the not too distant future it will offer digital versions of virtually every book in print.

In May 2000 Barnes & Noble.com pioneered its Same-Day Delivery service to its Manhattan, New York customers. This rapid delivery service enables the huge residential and working population of Manhattan to get delivery within hours of virtually any book in print from today's bestsellers to the most hard-to-find titles from small publishers. The service also includes delivery of more than 100,000 music CDs.

Barnes & Noble.com's e-commerce initiative extends to the B2B arena, where its Business Solutions program provides Fortune 1000 companies with a turn-key Intranet bookstore, enabling them to streamline and control their book purchasing process. Barnes & Noble.com is also a leader in mobile commerce through its Barnes & Noble On the Go wireless shopping. Customers can now shop the company's Web site from portable devices such as PDAs and mobile phones, giving them access to any book, anywhere, any time.

Barnes & Noble.com has made strategic investments in companies whose products and services enable it to increase its offerings in information products and services that are compatible with its core business. By doing so the company is able to expand its scope by benefiting from the investments, marketing and technology initiatives of industry leaders. To date, the company has invested in enews.com, the Internet's No. 1 site for discount magazine subscriptions; BuyEnlarge, which uses state-of-the-art technology to produce prints and posters on demand, and notHarvard.com, the pioneer in developing online branded universities and the concept of eduCommerce.

About the Anti-Defamation League

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry. ADL's mission "to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment to all citizens alike," is as valid today as it was to the League's founders. In classrooms, on campuses, in boardrooms and community rooms throughout America, ADL's educational outreach -- especially it's A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE(R) Institute programs -- teaches people of all ages, all religious and ethnic groups, and all walks of life to respect difference and value diversity. ADL's efforts to bring people together have been recognized by every American president since Harry Truman.

ADL's work in monitoring, exposing and combating extremists has been a vital resource for law enforcement, government, the media, and the American people. When hate strikes, ADL, through its 30 regional offices, responds to victims of hate crimes and to their communities. Forty-three states and the District of Columbia have enacted hate crimes legislation, many based on ADL's model legislation, which has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. A staunch defender of the Constitution and its First Amendment freedoms, ADL works to maintain church-state separation and protect freedom of speech and religious expression.

ADL works to foster harmonious inter-group relations through a variety of ways. Many of the League's programs highlight both the memory and lessons of the Holocaust. "Bearing Witness" was designed for Catholic educators and the National Youth Leadership Mission brings hundreds of teens from around the country to the nation's capital to learn to apply the lessons of the Holocaust to today. ADL's Peer Training program empowers teens to work with their counterparts to overcome confrontation and develop respect and mutual interests.

ADL's Web site, www.adl.org (http://www.adl.org), serves as a resource for educators, students, law enforcement, media, and others. The constantly updated site provides current and background information on extremists, anti-Semitism, racism, bigotry, terrorism, and hate on the Internet, as well as posting ADL's position on issues and anti-bias tools for people of all ages.