Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Jul. 28, 2012	Jul. 31, 2012
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jul. 28, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Trading Symbol	BKS
Entity Registrant Name	BARNES & NOBLE INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000890491
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--04-27
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		59,956,047