Alexander McCall Smith’s Quirky Detective Series Starring ...This spring Pantheon will release The Kalahari Typing School For Men, the fourth book in the series and the first in

Alexander McCall Smith’s Quirky Detective Series

Starring Precious Ramotswe Captivates Readers

Every so often, a specialbook or series comes alongthat creates an excitingbuzz in our stores. It’s oneof the joys of bookselling tohandsell an extraordinary titleand watch the euphoria grow.Recently, that kind of enthusiasmhas been building aroundAlexander McCall Smith and TheNo. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency,his quirky detective series set inBotswana, Africa.

In 2002, Anchor Booksreleased McCall Smith’s first threebooks in the series about PreciousRamotswe, a feisty private detec-

tive from Botswana. The No. 1 Ladies’ DetectiveAgency was followed by Tears of the Giraffe andMorality for Beautiful Girls. Tied together by a gen-tle pace, a principled tone and a memorable maincharacter, the series has proven extremely popular.This spring Pantheon will release The KalahariTyping School For Men, the fourth book in the seriesand the first in hardcover.

The author of more than 50 books, McCall Smithis a Scotsman who was born and reared in Zimbabwe(then Southern Rhodesia), just north of Botswana. Heattended the University of Edinburgh and latertaught at the Universities of Swaziland andBotswana. Currently, he is back at the University ofEdinburgh as a professor of medical law. He spokewith Community from his home in Scotland.

The character of Detective Precious Ramotswe is awonderful, unique character. Is she based onsomeone you knew in Botswana?She’s a mixture of influences and people, althoughthere is one particular person who gave me the ideaof writing about her. I was staying with friends in avillage outside of Gaborone, the capital of Botswana,and while going for a walk with my hostess we cameupon a splendid lady in a red dress who was what wecall of "traditional build." This Botswana lady want-ed to give my hostess a chicken for lunch. We wentinto her yard and there was a chicken run, and shechased this chicken round-and-round with a tremen-dous smile on her face. The odds were uneven, andshe eventually caught it, immediately wrung its neckand presented it to us with a great smile. And Ithought what an enterprising, rather impressivewoman. And so she was the point at which Ithought, well, maybe I should write about one ofthese very competent, careful Botswana ladies. Andthen Precious Ramotswe sort of walked into mymind.

Many mystery and suspense novels today involvemore sensational and violent crimes. But yourbooks have been described as gentle, addressingquestions of morality and right-versus-wrong.Was that tone a conscious decision on your part?Yes. I don’t particularly like this sort of violent, dis-tressing, confrontational tone of a lot of crime con-cerns. I think people want something gentler, wherethey treat one another with courtesy and so on. Andwhy not cater to that? I don’t like the cynical, hard-bitten nature of many contemporary novels, so thatis deliberate. These are gentle books.

Interview continued on page three

Alexander McCall Smith

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The Measure of Our Success

It has been over a decade since we launched our superstoresand over five years since we opened up for business online.How are we doing?Recent News:

According to the Fall 2002 Equi Trend brandstudy by Harris Interactive, Barnes & Noblebookstores ranked number one in quality amongretail brands (Home Depot was second andBorders was fifth).

Barnes & Noble.com practically tied for first asthe top e-commerce site, according to theUniversity of Michigan Customer SatisfactionSurvey.

There are many measures of and dimensions to customersatisfaction, but surely these surveys point to the fact that weare doing something right. I believe that these surveys princi-pally reflect how well we perform on the demand side of the busi-ness, namely, having the books our customers ask for in ourstores or are searching for on Barnes & Noble.com. Putting thebook in the customer’s hand remains the foundation of greatcustomer service in a bookstore.

Maintaining our market leadership, however, is going torequire us to build on that foundation by becoming moredynamic merchants: meeting the needs of the demand businesswill not be enough to fuel growth in comparable-store sales,

which is the principal measure of success in the retail business.We have to build the impulse side of the business. In other words,we have to convert more browsers to buyers.

This need has much to do with the evolution of the Internetas a pervasive channel not just for sales, but for the distributionof intellectual property – often for free. The Internet is affect-ing the demand side of our business, just as it is affecting everyaspect of our society. It is fast becoming a primary informationresource, reaching into territory previously served by books.

We cannot ignore this growing trend. We must recognizethat there is a paradigm shift in information access. We mustact by transforming our stores with a range of bookselling andmerchandise initiatives that complement the Internet, as wellas offer attractive alternatives, turning more browsers into buy-ers.

Recent changes to our storefronts, including more promi-nent display of discounted bestsellers, a feature table for bar-gain book former bestsellers, and our new storefront table ofimpulse-oriented backlist titles, are the first steps.

SparkNotes is an incredible success both in print andonline, and as you will see in this issue, continues to offer newstudy guides in a variety of formats in new categories. We areabout to launch an exciting new series of books, Barnes &Noble Classics, the world’s greatest books at affordable prices,which will be featured in the next issue of Community. Thebooks will be in every kind of format – hardcover, trade paper-back, mass-market paperback, and as e-books. Prices willrange from $3.95 to $9.95. Over the next few months, we willbe introducing more such initiatives, many centered aroundtitles published by Barnes & Noble and Sterling Publishing.The new initiatives at Sterling will also be in our summer issue.

While we must maintain, indeed, build our competence inthe demand area of the business, I believe the great opportuni-ty for sales growth lies in becoming more dynamic merchants,offering our customers more of what they want at prices they’rewilling to pay. We have already proven we can do so in ourcafés, where a range of initia-tives, including many newproducts, has fueled salesgrowth. With your supportand hard work, the new ini-tiatives in our core book busi-ness will be equally success-ful. I am confident we canenergize our core book busi-ness, which is, after all, wherewe all began and what weknow best.W

Steve Riggio, Chief Executive Officer of Barnes & Noble, Inc.

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My current reading:

The First World Warby John Keegan

The Wandering Hillby Larry McMurtry

OUTLOOK

The jackets and titles of your books are original and unique.Where do they come from?The artwork from Ladies’ Detective Agency and Kalahari TypingSchool come from a wonderful book called Painted Houses ofBotswana by photographer Sandy Grant. The jacket for Giraffe isfrom a Mozambique stamp of the 1930s, and its title comes froma design used in traditional Botswana basket-weaving; the basketshave little brown tear drops down their sides. "Tears of the giraffe"is such a lovely expression that I thought I’d use it. The cover art

for Morality is from a painting I hadseen in the London apartment ofmy former agent. I thought it wasa fabulous picture and eventuallygot the artist’s permission to use itfor the third novel. You could sayall of the books’ titles are a bitquirky.

Do you see lasting effects onAmerican readers from thebooks’ introduction of Botswanacustoms, such as drinking bushtea or the proper Botswanahandshake?I have been so touched by theresponse the books have receivedin the United States. I think peoplein the U.S. are open-minded tosuch things and seem to be ratherinterested in the new. They’re soused to getting a negative pictureof Africa – of bleakness and awful-

ness and all the problems – that they’ve seized on the idea of anAfrica where other things happen that are comfortable and nice.I’m delighted that there’s been interest in old, traditional Africanmorality, view of things and courtesies. Those seem to have gonedown very well.

What makes your books so different? Characters and setting,or something more?I suppose one would say that the books are in a very unusual set-ting for many readers. They’re in Botswana, a place one doesn’thear a great deal about, but which is a remarkable country. Theseare books about the quiet moments in people’s lives, but with a bitof attention to the humorous possibilities. There are funny thingsgoing on all the time. And I suppose people would say that myvision of life is a little bit quirky and that’s fine. These books arevery unusual and they’re not mainstream, but then people seemto like that.7

Interview conducted by Mark Levine, Mystery Buyer.

Dan Brown hangsupside-down tohelp solve plot chal-lenges. He says ithelps shift his entireperspective.

The Da Vinci Codeis based on fact —on actual paintings,locations, docu-ments and organi-zations.

Dramatic evidencemay be in DaVinci’s paintingsthemselves. In fact,many scholarsbelieve he inten-tionally included inhis work clues to apowerful secret thatremains protectedto this day by aclandestine brother-hood to which hebelonged.

The DivineProportion worksout.

Did You Know?

Interview with Alexander McCall Smith continued from page one

THE NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCYThe first novel in the series tells thestory of the cunning and engagingdetective Precious Ramotswe, who isdrawn to her profession to “help peo-ple with problems in their lives.” Shesets up shop in a small storefront inGaborone, Botswana, and soon is hiredto track down a missing husband,uncover a con man, follow a waywarddaughter and find a missing eleven-year-old boy.

TEARS OF THE GIRAFFEPrecious’ adventures continue whenshe is hired to track a wayward wife,reveal an unscrupulous maid andsearch for an American man who dis-appeared into the plains years ago.Meanwhile, she is preparing to marrythe good Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni, to pro-mote her talented secretary, MmaMakutsi, and then suddenly finds her-self the caretaker of two foster chil-dren.

MORALITY FOR BEAUTIFUL GIRLSThis time, Precious investigates thealleged poisoning of the brother of animportant government man, whileMma Makutsi gets her first case: deter-mining the moral character of the fourfinalists of the Miss Beauty andIntegrity Contest. It’s not all fun how-ever, as The No. 1 Ladies’ DetectiveAgency is having money problems, andMr. Matekoni suffers from unexplaineddepression.

THE KALAHARI TYPING SCHOOL FOR MENNow in her late thirties, Precious findsherself with a home, two adopted chil-dren, a nice fiancé and many satisfiedclients. Of course, problems soon arise,as her son gets involved in the deathsof hoopoe birds in the garden.Meanwhile, Mma Makutsi wants a hus-band but can’t find one, and also needshelp to open the Kalahari TypingSchool for Men, while Precious mustdeal with a new rival detective agency.

Alexander McCall Smith’s No. 1Ladies’ Detective Agency Series

Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code beginsin the Louvre when an elderly curator isfound dead in a gallery – his body leftin a bizarre configuration amid mind-boggling clues and codes. Harvardprofessor and renowned symbologistRobert Langdon is possibly the onlyperson who can decipher it all. Withthe help of young French cryptograph-er Sophie Neveu, he works through amyriad of messages and puzzles thateventually lead to an extraordinary,unimaginable conclusion.

3The Kalahari Typing School ForMen is the fourth book in TheNo. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agencyseries.

smarter, better, faster

LEADS IN EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS

The success of SparkNotes is phenomenal! In just a fewyears, SparkNotes has become the leading resource foreducational materials, both online and in print. InMarch 1999, four Harvard seniors created SparkNotes.com, aWeb site offering free study guides to students, parents, teach-ers, and general-interest readers. “I was the first employeehired by SparkNotes in April 1999,” says Justin Kestler, stillon the team as Editorial Director. “We were students andrecent graduates writing for other students. We knew whatthey needed to know to succeed in school because we hadjust gone through the same experiences ourselves. Our aimwas to make the educational process not only more fun andefficient, but also more rewarding.”

Word of mouth spread quickly, and SparkNotes.combecame a hit from practically its first day online. Today, thesite is the world’s largest and most popular stand-alone educa-tional Web site, with more than five million registered users.The site’s main attraction is the comprehensive study guidecollection, which offers more than 1,000 free study guides oneverything from literature to chemistry to computer science.Shortly after Barnes & Noble acquired the company in 2001,

SparkNotes began con-verting its top literaturestudy-guides titles intoprint publications.“From the beginning,SparkNotes set out toredefine and dominatethe study-guide market,both on the Web and inprint,” says Justin.“Barnes & Noble was theonly possible acquirerfor SparkNotes that rec-ognized and valued thatcombined vision, and inturn helped make ithappen.”

Previously, Barnes& Noble offeredCliffsNotes andMonarch Notes. “The

license for Monarch was about to end, and we were in theprocess of starting our own series of notes when the opportu-nity to buy SparkNotes came up,” says Alan Kahn, Presidentof the Barnes & Noble Publishing Group. “The extensiveexperience of our buyers and booksellers, along with thesales-tracking data from our many years of bookselling, havegiven us the unique ability to build this business most prof-itably, and we have. Sales of SparkNotes titles have exceededour expectations.”

Barnes & Noble let the Monarch license expire, and inFebruary 2002, 50 SparkNotes titles went on sale in our stores,selling alongside CliffsNotes. “We outperformed them titleby title by some 40 percent,” says Robert Riger, AssociatePublisher of SparkNotes. CliffsNotes were removed in June2002, and another 100 SparkNotes titles were published inAugust. “We are now selling at a rate that exceeds the prioryear’s Cliffs sales in units and dollars, even though ours areone dollar less per book.”

Barnes & Noble stores now carry 171 SparkNotes literaturetitles. Top sellers include guides to Hamlet, The Great Gatsby,To Kill a Mockingbird, and such recent books as Snow Falling onCedars and Angela’s Ashes. Each SparkNotes guide contains aplot overview, a note on the author, a guide to characters andthemes, a chapter-by-chapter analysis and discussion, as wellas key facts, study questions, a quiz, and suggestions for fur-ther reading.

What do authors think of SparkNotes? Frank McCourtsaid in Esquire that the SparkNotes guide to Angela’s Ashes is“very intelligent.” And in the same article, Jeffrey Eugenidessaid that the guide to The Virgin Suicides is “intelligently writ-ten, staggeringly comprehensive, and thoughtfully com-posed…. I think SparkNotes are extremely well done, smart,diligent, informative, [and] flattering.” And what do our

SparkNotes SAT & PSAT, a leading title in the Test Prep study guideseries.

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SparkNotes’ guide to Hamlet...

stores think? “They’re oneof our top-selling lines ofbooks,” says Elsie Colwell,Assistant Store Manager atStore 2847 in Houston, TX— a comment echoed byother Barnes & Noble storemanagers.

“We intend to be theonline and print destina-tion for educational materi-als,” says Dan Weiss,Publisher and ManagingDirector of SparkNotes.“We’ve found that our cus-tomers want our content in

a variety of formats. Even as we offer our guides for freeon our Web site, our print and downloadable PDF saleshave been consistently strong. As we expand our pub-lishing plan, Barnes & Noble stores will be selling printtitles in a number of different categories.”

One of the new categories now in stores is SparkNotesTest Prep, a set of ten study guides for exams such as ACT,SAT, and SAT II. Other SparkNotes categories that we willsell by summer include:

SparkCharts - laminated quick-reference review sheets(already on sale in 300 of our stores).

SparkNotes Outlines - for high school and collegecourses in such subjects as economics, physics, chem-istry, biology and American history.

A Reader’s Companion - 12 study/reading guides forbook clubs and the general public for such recent worksas White Teeth, The Lovely Bones and The Corrections.

Library of Great Authors - a series of biographicalguides to great authors and their most importantworks, from Dostoevsky to J. K. Rowling.

No Fear Shakespeare - featuring the text of the origi-nal Shakespeare play on the left and a translation intomodern American English on the right, making theplay more accessible to students and the general public.

SparkNotes, already so popular on the Web, has rapid-ly become a top-selling line of books in our stores. Themulti-channel strategy that works so well for Barnes &Noble, Inc. and Barnes & Noble.com is working just aswell for SparkNotes.com and SparkNotes in print.C

Written by David Kuryk, Director of Editorial Services.

Testimonials“Your notes are just that: study notes, not replace-ment notes; and they are quick, to the point, well-explained and cross-referenced. I will probably berecommending them to my students as study helpsbecause of these qualities. Every SparkNotes book isworth much more than the very reasonable pricepaid for its purchase.”

— Andrew M., English teacher

“I am doing a horticulture course at a small school inan isolated town in the southwest of Tasmania. Istumbled upon you quite by accident and now youhave changed my life. I am going to pass this site onto my teacher; it’s just what we’ve been searchingfor.”

— Meghan J.

“My professors love your site. They use it them-selves, calling SparkNotes.com the best reference onpractically any subject on the Internet.”

— Richard W.

“I belong to a library book club and find SparkNotesinvaluable to help us navigate novels. The questionsyou provide are provoking and spark a lot of dialogamong our members. Keep up the great work!”

— Stefani D.

“I’m writing to tell you that SparkNotes.com is simplythe BEST informational site on the Internet today.”

— Christopher B.

The SparkNotes.com homepage

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...and the “No Fear Shakespeare”Hamlet edition.

“He’s the poster child for the Discoverprogram.” That’s how Jill Lamar,Manager and Editor of the DiscoverGreat New Writers program, describes Anthony Doerr,

whose debut effort, The Shell Collector, won the 2002Discover Award for fiction. In eight different tales, the 29-

year-old Doerr explores the bittersweet relationshipbetween man and nature. “It’s exciting to see a writer soyoung and talented be recognized,” says Jill. And it’s the firsttime a short story collection has earned the Discover Award. Inthe title story, a blind, reclusive shell collector accidentally dis-covers the cure for a fatal disease in the deadly sting of a coneshell. In “The Hunter’s Wife,” a Montana hunter’s beliefs arechallenged by his psychically gifted wife. The stories rangefrom Africa to Eastern Europe to the suburbs of Ohio, and areinhabited by unforgettable characters.

The Discover Award for nonfiction went to journalist DinaTemple-Raston for A Death in Texas, a chilling account of the1998 murder of James Byrd, Jr. in Jasper, TX and its social andpolitical repercussions. From the initial investigation to thesentencing of the killers, Temple-Raston covers all the eventsand reactions surrounding the horrific hate crime. “This bookis a call to action,” says Jill. “You can’t help being profoundlymoved and disturbed by what is described.”

Taking second place for fiction was Julie Otsuka’s spare butpowerful novel When the Emperor Was Divine, detailing the

2002 Discover Award WinnersShort Story Collection Named Fiction Winner for the First Time

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A Death in Texas byDina Temple-Raston

Journalist Dina Temple-Raston haswritten a chilling account of the1998 murder of James Byrd, Jr.

The Shell Collector A Death in Texas

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Fiction Winner Nonfiction Winner

The Shell Collector byAnthony Doerr

Anthony Doerr’s The Shell Collector isthe first short story collection to beawarded the Discover Great NewWriters Award.

internment of a Japanese-American family during World War II.Diamond, by Matthew Hart, an absorbing account of the his-tory and global politics surrounding the world’s most preciousgems, placed second for nonfiction. The two second-placefinalists were awarded $2,500.

Alice Sebold’s bestselling fiction debut, The Lovely Bones,took third place for fiction. Readers and critics alike have beencaptivated by Sebold’s story of a 14-year-old rape and murdervictim who watches from “heaven” as her family grapples withgrief over her loss. Third place for nonfiction went to LocalWonders, Ted Kooser’s thoroughly charming collection ofessays about life in and around his home in the “BohemianAlps” (the hills of eastern Nebraska). Both third-place finalistsreceived $1,000.

Jurists for fiction this year included Tony Earley (Jim theBoy), Colum McCann (Dancer), and Anita Shreve (Sea Glass).Nonfiction jurists were Natalie Angier (Woman: An IntimateGeography), Verlyn Klinkenborg (The Rural Life), and SusanOrlean (The Orchid Thief). Along with their prize money of$10,000, both first-place Discover Award winners will enjoymarketing and advertising support from Barnes & Noble forthe remainder of the year, ensuring visibility in stores and onbn.com. All six Discover Award finalists were honored at a cer-emony at Store 2675 in New York City in March.

The Discover program kicked off the 2003 reading seasonwith two exciting changes. First, readership for the programhas been extended beyond the New York area in an effort toinclude a select group of booksellers across the country. Andsecond, beginning with this summer’s reading, submissions tothe Discover program will include teen fiction for the first time.

The success of the Discover program continues far beyondBarnes & Noble, and several of our “discovered” writers weretapped for major literary awards and other notoriety in 2002.Adam Haslett’s short story collection You Are Not a StrangerHere was named a National Book Award Finalist and a TodayShow Book Club selection. Paulette Jiles’s Enemy Women andNoelle Howey’s Dress Codes were both featured on GoodMorning America’s Read This Book Club; and Yann Martel wonthe 2002 Man Booker Prize for his novel, Life of Pi.

Now in its thirteenth year, the Discover Great New Writersprogram continues to provide an unparalleled opportunity fortalented new authors to meet an eager reading public. Whohave you discovered lately?c

Written by Sandhya Kolachina, Internal CommunicationsCoordinator.

Discover Award Winnersollection Named Fiction Winner for the First Time

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3rd Place, Nonfiction

3rd Place, Fiction2nd Place, Fiction

2nd Place, Nonfiction

When the Emperor Was Divine by JulieOtsuka

Diamond by Matthew Hart Local Wonders by Ted Kooser

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

Many booksellers are familiar withMiffy, the little Dutch rabbit fea-tured in books byDick Bruna.This spring, Miffy, her family and friendsare coming to America through an exclu-sive licensing agreement with Barnes &Noble that promises to bring retail star-dom to the European bunny. We’ll be theonly retailer selling Miffy books in ourstores and on bn.com in 2003.

The Miffy extravaganza started inFebruary when Barnes & Noble Children’sDepartments began featuring variousexclusive books and merchandise: 15 popular Miffytitles, plushes, sidewalk chalk, jigsaw puzzles, jewelryboxes, twisting cans, lace-up sewing cards and cardgames. In addition, costumed Miffy characters will visit

stores and preside over new store open-ings. And the Miffy mania isn’t con-fined to books and merchandise.This month, Nickelodeon’s Nogginwill present a new half-hour pro-gram featuring Miffy and friends.

Boris and Barbara Bear (looselybased on the author and his wife),Poppy Pig, Snuffy the Dog andMiffy’s best friend Melanie havealso been popular in Europe, Japanand Australia since they hit the

scene in 1956. The Miffy serieshas sold more than 80 million

books and has been translatedinto 40 languages.

“I had a pet bunny whenI was young,” Bruna recalls.The idea for the charactercame later while hewatched a rabbit come intohis garden. “As I made upbedtime stories for my chil-

dren, the subject becamea rabbit who had

many adventures.” It was then thatBruna began drawing rabbits.

Bruna thinks the worldwide popu-larity of the Miffy series is due to thestyle of his drawing: single fluid lines,cut-out shapes and bold colors, allinspired by Matisse. “I prefer to useprimary colors — red, yellow and blue— and have added green, brown andgrey to my palette because I neededthese colors for my stories,” he says.“For example; green for grass, brownfor bears and grey for elephants.”

“Miffy’s adventures with her friends and family res-onate with children worldwide because they reflect myexperiences with my children and grandchildren,” saysBruna. “For example, Miffy in the Tent was made after Isaw my granddaughter playing in a little yellow tent inour garden in the summer.” In fact, each title deals witha universal theme in children’s lives such as going toschool, celebrating a birthday or riding a bicycle.

Perhaps the key to Miffy’s staying power is simplici-ty. By reducing images to their essence, they becomelike pictograms, easily remembered and recognized inany culture. And the books’ bright colors grab the atten-tion of even the youngest children, while the characters’open and honest approach to life mirrors their audi-ence’s worldview and creates a strong bond betweenreader and book.

“We’re delighted to be the ambassador for the world-renowned Miffy and Friends,” says Josalyn Moran,Director of Children’s Books. “The bright colors, cheer-ful rhythms and adorable characters will delight pre-schoolers around the country.”2

Written by Josalyn Moran, Director of Children’s Books.

The MiffyExtravaganza

Books & Merchandise Offered Exclusively In Our Stores

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In this celebrated first story, Miffy arriveswith much fanfare atthe home of Mr. andMrs. Bunny.

Dick Bruna created Miffy in 1956.

Various exclusive Barnes & Noble Miffy merchandise.

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With a roster featuring more than 300 authors — from literaryicons Charles Dickens and Virginia Woolf to current bestsellersMichael Cunningham and Alice Sebold — Barnes & Noble.com’sMeet the Writers program points the spotlight where books begin: onwriters.

“Our customers are always looking for more information about theirfavorite writers, along with recommendations on what to read next,”says Brenda Marsh, Vice President of Content for Barnes & Noble.com.“Meet the Writers offers both, allowing readers really to get to knowauthors — and find their books — in one convenient place.”

Since its launch in June 2002, the program has received phenome-nal feedback from both customers and authors. Each featured writer ’spage is filled with informative and entertaining content, including achronological list of published works, a biography and recommendationson which books to read first. They also include links to writers’ officialweb sites, and suggestions about similar or related authors.

Meet the Writers also contains a lot of fun facts. For example, didyou know that Anne Rice’s real name is Howard Allen O’Brien, or thatDaniel Handler (a.k.a. Lemony Snicket) was voted Class Clown, BestActor, Chatterbox, and Teacher ’s Pet in high school?

Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the program is the fact that theauthors actually participate. Our exclusive Meet the Writers question-naire enables writers to share information about themselves with read-ers, revealing their own best-loved books, pastimes, inspirations andother facts. Fans can learn everything from Scott Turow’s favoritemovies (Unforgiven, The Godfather, Bonnie and Clyde and The UsualSuspects), to Michael Cunningham’s taste in music (Mozart’s Requiemand Beck).

The newest feature of Meet the Writers is exclusive audio and videointerviews. Users can listen to a clip of Robert Jordan refusing to giveaway the plot to his final book (“Not even my editor knows — and she’smy wife!”), or sit in on a panel discussion with authors and watch themwork crowds at Barnes & Noble store events. In fact, authors have pro-vided some memorable moments: “I used to say when I was younger thatwith the power of a story, I could seduce any man,” said Isabel Allende,author of Daughter of Fortune. “Now I am more modest.” And JamieOliver, author of The Naked Chef, advises readers not to cook naked athome. “A possible health and safety hazard,” he said.

For readers who must meet their favorites in person, Meet theWriters also includes links to Barnes & Noble store event listings thatprovide information about authors’ appearances. They may also sign upfor free Writer Alerts, e-mails that provide information about the latestreleases from selected authors.

Meet the Writers is fully integrated throughout Barnes & Noble.comwith links to product, search and merchandising pages so that customerscan always find the feature they want. “Nowhere on the Web are writ-ers showcased with such care and detail,” says Kevin Ryan, VicePresident for Content Development. “And our readers and authors areresponding to that.”9

Written by Amanda Reid, Features Editor for Barnes & Noble.com, who never failsto get a little starstruck everytime she “Meets the Writers.”

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Barnes & Noble.com’s Meet the Writers featuresbiographies, interview excerpts and much more.

Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely Bones, isfeatured in Meet the Writers.

The Newcomers feature inMeet the Writers.

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A Sideways Look at Time by Jay Griffiths

CRM Jennifer Phillips at Store2578 in Brookfield, WI recom-mends How Do Dinosaurs GetWell Soon?, the follow-up to How Do Dinosaurs

Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague.“Kids learn what not to do when they’re sick, and also

what to do to get well, all while being entertained withthe rhyming story and hilarious illustrations,” says Jennifer.

“I think it will be one of the most important books of theyear,” says Buyer Sessalee Hensley about The Book of Salt by

Monique Truong. The novel deals with the lives of Gertrude Steinand Alice B. Toklas as seen from the unusual perspective of their

Vietnamese cook.The Discover Great New Writers Book Club at Store 2976 in

Montgomeryville, PA plans to celebrate Daylight Savings Time in Aprilby reading A Sideways Look at Time by Jay Griffiths. Maddie Hjulstrom,

CRM and book group leader, says “What makes this book intriguing is real-izing how differently we perceive time depending on our culture, genderand circumstances.”

Amanda Schilling, who buys Libros En Español, has high words ofpraise for La Multitud Errante, a moving novella about war refugees forcedto become nomads. This all-too-contemporary fiction is by Columbianauthor Laura Restrepo.

ASM Renee Q. Brown at Store 1893 in Jenkintown, PA recommends TheDevil in the White City by Erik Larson to both history buffs and true crime

readers. It’s a vivid, trueaccount of two visionary menwhose fates were linked by theChicago World’s Fair of 1893.The architect Daniel Burnham(who designed the FlatironBuilding in New York City) bat-tled against the clock to buildthe Fair, nicknamed the “WhiteCity” for its majestic splendor.Meanwhile, serial killer Dr. HenryHolmes used the fair to lure vic-tims to his World’s Fair Hotel,which became a palace of horrorwhere he murdered and mutilat-ed as many as 200 people.

Buyer Tim Flannigan nomi-nates Elaine Pagels’ BeyondBelief: The Secret Gospel ofThomas. Tim believesthat Pagels’ deeply personalview of the ancient Gnostic

gospel will receive strongmedia attention.

Everyone at Store2994 in Palmdale, CA istalking about TheSeduction of Water, CarolGoodman’s story of adaughter in search of hermother’s secrets. “It’s anIrish fairytale thatweaves through unset-tling discoveries sur-rounding the storyteller’sdeath,” says SM PamEarly. “The novel is anintriguing, enthrallingpage turner.”

Buyer Sharon Bosleyvotes for Simon Winchester’s Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded aboutthe 1883 volcanic eruption which killed 36,000 people. Winchester alsowrote The Map That Changed the World and The Professor and the Madman.“The latest book is an unforgettable read,” Sharon reports.

Buyer Tommy Dreiling recommends Lois Sherr Dubin’s North AmericanIndian Jewelry and Adornment. “It’s a thoroughly beautiful and completelyaffordable book,” says Tommy. In fact, the paperback pictorial is priced atjust $29.95.

Emperor: The Gates of Rome by Conn Iggulden is the choice of BruceFilbeck, Head Cashier at Store 2696 in Port Huron, MI. It’s a story specu-lating on the life of Julius Caesar’s childhood through teen years. “One haz-ard of writing fiction about historical characters is that the reader knowsthe ultimate fate of the protagonist, so surprise endings are difficult,” saysBruce. “But Iggulden succeeds at this. He crafts the main and sub-plotsin sufficient detail to make them captivating.”

Buyer Lynne Widli recommends Lily Dale: The True Story of the TownThat Talks to the Dead by Christine Wicker, a story about a village inupstate New York where psychics and mediums thrive. “I’m not theonly person who found this wonderful book fascinating,” says Lynne.“The Discover group named it one of their spring selections.”

Mandy Dunlap, CRM at Store 2717 in Huntsville, AL recom-mends The Angel By My Side by local resident and author MikeLingenfelter. It’s a moving story about the relationshipbetween the writer and Dakota, the golden retriever thatsaved his life. “It really makes you believe in miraclesand the healing power that a faithful friend can haveon a life,” says Mandy.v

Krakatoa: The Day the World Explodedby Simon Winchester

South Burlington, VT – Store 2776 recently formed a partnership with TheTraveling Storyteller, a Vermont-based theater troupe, to create and presentoriginal musical puppet plays. Designed to complement our Close the Bookon Hate campaign, the plays will be performed through May and includeThe Elves and the Shoemaker, Susan’s Friend and The Hill Family. “Theseevents have provided a forum to share Close the Book materials with cus-tomers, and to inform area teachers about Barnes & Noble’s involvement inliteracy and education,” says CRM Nance Nahmias.

Yonkers, NY – The Yonkers Early Childhood Initiative, sponsored by theMayor’s office, recently designated Store 2889 as a Family Friendly Business.According to CRM Eric Payne, the store received the honor for fulfillingthree important criteria: making it easy for families to use the store, helpingbooksellers balance family and work, and supporting community events andprograms. In 2002, the store hosted a young poets’ night for students fromPS 95 in the Bronx (which was attended by more than 140 parents, stu-dents and teachers) and a musical storytime emceed by pianist John Sciullo,which gave children the opportunity to come on stage and “compose” theirown music. The store also received a Mayoral Citation and a certificate ofrecognition from the City Council of Yonkers for its active role in the com-munity.

Vernon Hills, IL – Store 2695 is partnering with local corporations like W.W.Grainger, Inc. of Lake Forest and CDW of Vernon Hills to provide books forat-risk students. CRM Monica Del Angel works regularly with local compa-nies to underwrite the store’s Literacy Partnership Program, which enableslow-income students in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lake County to select and“purchase” books during a group visit. Since the program’s inception ayear ago, more than 200 students — who might otherwise never ownbooks — have been selected to participate in the program. During the2002 holiday period, booksellers at Store 2695 volunteered to gift wrap atthe store with Big Brothers Big Sisters volunteers to raise additional moneyfor the program.

Reno, NV – Store 2938

The Giving Season

‘T'was just before Christmas and all through the storeBooksellers were finding out what the holidays are forAfter two months of planning the stage was now setFor many special dreams and wishes to be met.

With Store Manager David Sweet at the wheelThe staff of booksellers helped prove Santa is realWorking together, they helped spread some joyTo an entire school of less privileged girls and boys.

While all the best plans were carefully laidMany donations were happily madeEvery bookseller gave at least five bucksAnd shopping they went to load up their trucks.

Two-hundred twenty-eight books in front of us we seeWrapped by Managers Kym Bushmire and Cari ParsleyEach and every student received a book to treasureA gift from Barnes & Noble, our pleasure.

The community pulled together, the donations did flowFrom food to juice to trees with fake snowThe school gym would be the place to beFor a party for the students and their families.

All hearts involved grew three sizes that dayTo prove yet again if there’s a will, there’s a wayAnd a lesson was learned by 2938 that seasonA way will be found when giving is the reason.

Bookseller HighlightsDurham, NC – Parade lover and CRM at Store 2631,Pamela Pease combined whimsical artwork with themagic of pop-up engineering to create Macy’s OnParade!: A Pop-Up Book for Children of All Ages, publishedin October 2002 by Paintbox Press. The project beganin November 2000 as Pam watched the Macy’sThanksgiving Day Parade™ and began to imagine thewhole spectacle as a three-dimensional book. After see-ing her preliminary concepts, Macy’s gave permissionto proceed. Designed to delight both kids and adults,

Macy’s on Parade! celebratesall the highlights andpageantry of the belovedparade: marching bands,majestic floats and giantcharacter balloons, all cli-maxed by Santa’s arrival atMacy’s Herald Square.Sidebar text on each pageoffers fascinating behind-the-scene facts and anec-dotes for older readers.

Irvine, CA – A poem bybookseller Erin WalshMoncada at Store 1530recently won the 2002

Writer’s Digest Grand Prize. “Love After SeptemberEleventh,” a sonnet Erin dedicated to her husband, waschosen from more than 19,000 entries. The prizeincluded $1,500 and a trip to New York City with aWriter’s Digest editor to meet editors and agents. Erin,who has an English degree from the University ofWashington, is working on her second novel and hopesthat the award will open doors to a writing career.

New York, NY – Meghan McCarthy, Bookseller atStore 2675, makes her “topsy turvy” debut into theworld of picture books with George Upside Down, pub-lished in March by Viking Children’s Books. The bookcombines bright colors and an appealingly quirky storyto tell us about George, alittle boy who likes to dowhat many children do —read, watch TV and paintpictures – except he doesthem upside down!

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Macy’s on Parade! by Store2631’s Pamela Pease.

Meghan McCarthy, bookseller atStore 2675, is George UpsideDown’s writer and illustrator.

Region District Store City

5 91 1818 New Orleans, LA 6 101 2030 Holmdel, NJ 7 129 2944 Milwaukee, WI 8 142 2774 Costa Mesa, CA 9 119 1982 Fort Worth, TX 10 60 2082 Smithfield, RI 1 26 1685 King of Prussia, PA

2002 Universal Gift Card

Contest Winners

20 & 25 YearService Award

Winners

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Congratulations Booksellers! We collected 83,306 books during our 2002 Holiday Book Drive.

Community is published quarterly byCorporate Communications.

PublisherMary Ellen Keating

Managing EditorNancy Maloney

Editorial CoordinatorSandhya Kolachina

ContributorsSessalee Hensley, Sandhya Kolachina,David Kuryk, Mark Levine, JosalynMoran, Billy MacKay, Amanda Reid, and Steve Riggio

Editorial ConsultantSteve Bolerjack

DesignMongrel Creative

Story suggestions and contributions are welcome and appreciated; photosand illustrations will be returned. Lettersto the Editor are also welcome.

Please send to:Nancy MaloneyBarnes & Noble122 Fifth AvenueNew York, NY 10011Email [email protected] 212.807.6033

During the past holiday season, Barnes & Noblerecognized those booksellers who have been con-tinuously employed with Barnes & Noble, Inc. formore than five years. These Service Awardsacknowledge their dedication to the companyand celebrate their many years of outstandingservice and contributions to the craft of book-selling. Approximately 1650 booksellers in ourstores and 200 Home Office booksellers receivedService Awards. Booksellers were presented withBarnes & Noble pins noting their time of service,which ranged from five to 25 years. Please joinus in congratulating these honorees.

20 Years Dolores Bangle 2915 Della Burgess 2906 Elsie Colwell 2847 Linda Sue Combs 524 Catherine Cooper 235 Fernando Costales Home Office Shirley Anne Fletcher 190 Ann Hadel 206 Anne Marie Holland 2971 Betty Judson 1934 Joseph Lepore Home Office Ruth McKeegan 1960 Don Miller 329 Eloy Ortiz 522 Don Vanderstouw 2848 Clark Williams 2690

25 Years Luis Armenta Home Office Stephen Aymond 2856 Jeanne Johnson 1506 Lucy Shonyo MN Regional Office