Alarm about declining interest in books is perpetual. But, as bookselling reaches unexpected heights, James Daunt, the chief executive of Barnes & Noble, thinks a different future is at hand. Daunt, the most important man in bookselling, maintains that a literary culture is something booksellers are well placed to build. It was the Friday before Labor Day, a lowering sun, when James Daunt, the most important man in bookselling, spilled off a train and turned to work. He had reached the end of the track in New Jersey. His destination, the Barnes & Noble in Eatontown, was three miles in from the shore. In the normal course of things, Daunt, who is tall and English and who often has the look of someone trying and failing to be invisible, would weave across the final stretch by bicycle--he has a folding Brompton--but the afternoon was muggy, and the traffic unkind, so he crammed into a rideshare car. On the map, Eatontown looked minuscule, but on the approach it unfurled: shopping mall ...

Barnes & Noble is giving away a free Halloween Lego witch build -- here's how to snag yours Pro tip: Call your local Barnes & Noble now, because spots for this tiny witch build are going to vanish fast. Soumya is a deals writer who covers consumer tech, shopping deals, and the products people use every day. With experience writing about everything from AI tools and software to smartphones and home gadgets, she enjoys breaking down product research into clear, useful recommendations. When she's not tracking deals, she's usually comparing products, digging through reviews, and figuring out what actually makes a purchase worth it. All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers.

Creator Playbook Look Up Back to School Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Mashable Selects Say More Trending Now Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age Switch Off Mashable Voices Safety Net Versus All Series The deal is valid for two days only. Christina Buff is a Nashville-based freelance writer for who covers shopping with a splash of entertainment. If you're ever wondering what streaming service you need to watch something (and the cheapest way to sign up for it), she's your girl. All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.

Founded on July 5th, 1994, Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) is quite possibly one of the biggest success stories of the digital boom. Starting from humble beginnings as an online bookseller, Jeff Bezos has created Amazon into a household name and it is beginning to encroach on all aspects of our lives. In just under 25 years, Amazon has grown into the world's largest online marketplace and has spawned many successful side-projects, such as Amazon Alexa, Amazon Kindle and Amazon Prime. No matter what you are looking for, you will find it on Amazon and, given that the company holds almost 50% of the USA's e-commerce market and regularly has Amazon offers, it is easy to see why.

U.S. stocks are trading lower Wednesday morning as losses for phone and utility companies continue to drag the market from its recent record highs. Retailers including Target and Lowe's are skidding after disappointing earnings. The Federal Reserve will release minutes from its July meeting in the afternoon. KEEPING SCORE: The Dow Jones industrial average fell 58 points, or 0.3%, to 18,493 as of 10:25 a.m. The Standard & Poor's 500 index gave up 6 points, or 0.3%, to 2,171.