Separation of B&N Education, Inc - Additional Information (Detail) - shares	Aug. 02, 2015	Jul. 14, 2015
Spin Off Transaction [Line Items]
Registration amendment dates		Registration Statement on Form S-1, which was filed with the SEC on February 26, 2015 and was amended on April 29, 2015, June 4, 2015, June 29, 2015, July 13, 2015, July 14, 2015 and July 15, 2015.
B&N Education, LLC
Spin Off Transaction [Line Items]
Spin-off share distribution for each share of Barnes & Noble common stock held	0.632
Percentage of membership interest following completion of Spin-Off	100.00%
Date of business Spin-Off	Aug. 02, 2015
Spin-Off transaction, record date	Jul. 27, 2015