Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Oct. 26, 2013	Nov. 30, 2013
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Oct. 26, 2013
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2014
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	BKS
Entity Registrant Name	BARNES & NOBLE INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000890491
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--05-03
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		59,874,505