SEATTLE, WA (October 21, 1997)-- Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) and Barnes & Noble, Inc. announced today that they have agreed to a settlement of the lawsuit filed by Barnes & Noble and of the counterclaims filed by Amazon.com.

Neither party admitted liability of any type, and neither party paid any damages to the other. The parties simply decided that they would rather compete in the marketplace than in the courtroom.

Amazon.com, Inc., Earth's Biggest Bookstore, is the leading online retailer of books and is the premier bookseller on AOL.com, Yahoo!, Netscape, Excite.com, the AltaVista Search Service, and the Prodigy Shopping Network. Amazon.com offers a catalog of 2.5 million titles, easy-to-use search and browse features, e-mail services, personalized shopping service, Web-based credit card payment, and direct shipping to customers. Amazon.com has virtually unlimited online shelf space and offers customers a vast selection through an efficient search-and-retrieval interface.

Amazon.com, Inc., is headquartered at 1516 Second Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101. Internet address: http//www.amazon.com. Telephone (206) 622-2335.

Amazon.com and Earth's Biggest Bookstore are service marks of Amazon.com, Inc. All other names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective owners.