Document and Entity Information - shares	6 Months Ended
	Oct. 31, 2015	Nov. 30, 2015
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Oct. 31, 2015
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	BKS
Entity Registrant Name	BARNES & NOBLE INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000890491
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--04-30
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		76,469,214