In a 2011 survey of the bookstore chain landscape, we reported that there were nearly 3,300 bookstores operated by 11 corporate parents. Those companies included national and regional chains as well as a number of Christian bookstore chains. Thirty-one years later, three chains remain and are operating a total of 995 outlets, with the only constant being that Barnes & Noble was the largest chain in 2011 and is still the largest today.

From the Archive: August 29, 2011 by Publishers Weekly on Scribd