Barnes and Noble 1997 Annual Report Download - page 38

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 38 of the 1997 Barnes and Noble annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 42

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42

34
The Board of Directors
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance
sheets of Barnes & Noble, Inc. and subsidiaries as of January 31,
1998 and February 1, 1997 and the related consolidated state-
ments of operations, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash
flows for the fiscal years ended January 31, 1998, February 1,
1997, and January 27, 1996, respectively. These financial
statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management.
Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial state-
ments based on our audits.
We conducted our audits in accordance with generally
accepted auditing standards. Those standards require that we
plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about
whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement.
An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit
also includes assessing the accounting principles used and signifi-
cant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the
overall financial statement presentation. We believe that our
audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred
to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial posi-
tion of Barnes & Noble, Inc. and its subsidiaries as of January 31,
1998 and February 1, 1997 and the results of their operations and
their cash flows for the fiscal years ended January 31, 1998,
February 1,1997and January 27,1996, in conformity with
generally accepted accounting principles.
New York, New York
March 10, 1998
BDO Seidman, LLP
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS