Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Oct. 27, 2012	Nov. 30, 2012
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Oct. 27, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
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		59,902,354