<PAGE>
U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 3
INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES
Filed pursuant to Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
Section 17(a) of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935
or Section 30(f) of the Investment Company Act of 1940
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person*
Middelhoff Thomas
(Last) (First) (Middle)
Carl-Bertelsmann-Strasse 270
(Street)
33311 Gutersloh GERMANY
(City) (State) (Zip)
2. Date of Event Requiring Statement (Month/Day/Year)
May 24, 1999
3. I.R.S. Identification Number of Reporting Person, if an entity (voluntary)
4. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
barnesandnoble.com inc. Trading Symbol = bnbn
5. Relationship of Reporting Person to Issuer (Check all applicable)
/X/ Director / / 10% Owner
/ / Officer (give title below) / / Other (specify below)
Secretary
6. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year)
7. Individual or Joint/Group Reporting (Check applicable line)
/X/ Form filed by One Reporting Person
/ / Form filed by More than One Reporting Person
* If the Form is filed by more than one Reporting Person, see instruction
5(b)(v).
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned
2. Amount 3. Ownership
of Secu- Form:
rities Direct 4. Nature of
Bene- (D) or Indirect
ficially Indirect Beneficial
Owned (I) Ownership
1. Title of Security (Instr. 4) (Instr. 5) (Instr. 5)
- -------------------------------- ------------- ------------- ----------------
<S> <C> <C> <C>
No securities owned
</TABLE>
<PAGE>
<TABLE>
<CAPTION>
Table II--Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned (e.g., puts, calls, warrants, options, convertible securities)
2. Date Exercisable
and Expiration Date 3. Title and Amount of Securities Underlying Derivative
(Month/Day/Year) Security (Instr. 4)
---------------------- -----------------------------------------------------------
Date Amount or
1. Title of Derivative Exercis- Expiration Title Number of
Security (Instr. 4) able Date Shares
- ---------------------------------------------- ---------- ---------- ---------------------------------------------- -----------
<S> <C> <C> <C> <C>
Stock Option (right to buy) (1) (2) (3) Class A Common Stock 40,000
<CAPTION>
5. Ownership
Form of
Derivative
4. Conver- Security:
sion or Direct 6. Nature of
Exercise (D) or Indirect
Price of Indirect Beneficial
1. Title of Derivative Derivative (I) Ownership
Security (Instr. 4) Security (Instr. 5) (Instr. 5)
- ---------------------------------------------- ------------- ------------- --------------
<S> <C> <C> <C>
Stock Option (right to buy) (1) (4) D
</TABLE>
Explanation of Responses:
(1) These options will be issued and effective as of the date of the
consummation of the Issuer's initial public offering of Class A Common
Stock (the "IPO").
(2) One-fourth of these options become exercisable on each of the first,
second, third and fourth anniversaries of the IPO.
(3) These options expire on the date immediately preceeding the tenth
anniversary of the IPO.
(4) The per share exercise price of these options is the per share IPO price.
/s/ Thomas Middelhoff May 24, 1999
- --------------------------------------- --------------------------
**Signature of Reporting Person Date
Thomas Middelhoff
** Intentional misstatements or omissions of facts constitute Federal Criminal
Violations. See 18 U.S.C. 1001 and 15 U.S.C. 78ff(a).
