Amazon.com vs. BarnesAndNoble.com

Amazon.com vs. BarnesAndNoble.com

(nasdaq: AMZN - news - people )Headquarters: SeattleYear Founded: 1995Founder: Jeffrey Bezos Market cap: $18.3 billionNumber of employees: 7?600Price-to-earnings ratio: Not meaningful2002 revenue: $3.93 billion2002 earnings per share: 39 centsCEO: Jeffrey BezosCEO's favorite book: The Remains Of The Day by Kazuo IshiguroPrice of The Teeth of the Tiger? the No. 1 fiction book on the New York Times Best-Seller List: $16.77? plus shippingBest feature: Free shipping on orders over $25; personalized recommendations based on past purchases

(nyse: BKS - news - people )Headquarters: New YorkYear Founded: 1917Founder: William Barnes/G. Clifford NobleMarket cap: $1.7 billionNumber of employees: 50?000Price-to-earnings ratio: 14.972002 revenue: $5.27 billion2002 earnings per share: $1.39 (diluted)CEO: Stephen Riggio CEO's favorite book: The Metamorphosis by Franz KafkaPrice of The Teeth of the Tiger? the No. 1 fiction book on the New York Times Best-Seller List: $19.57? plus taxBest feature: No waiting for purchase to arrive in the mail; cafés

Booksellers jammed a few breaks this summer with two best-seller titles coming out and Oprah Winfrey reviving her book club? but can the momentum last? It's not every year that Scholastic (nasdaq: SCHL - news - people ) publishes a new Harry Potter book or a memoir causes as much advance buzz at Hillary Rodham Clinton's did. From a financial standpoint? there's not much of a matchup. Barnes & Noble made a profit in 2002? compared with Amazon's loss? and its revenue is 25% higher than Amazon's. Both of their shares have had a terrific run-up year-to-date? with Amazon up 145% and its bricks-and-mortar competitor up 49%. Amazon is stuck in cyberspace? but that keeps its costs lower. Both have serious competition in Borders Group (nyse: BGP - news - people) and big-box retailers that sell books? such as Wal-Mart Stores (nyse: WMT - news - people) and ...