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Amazoncom Buys Book Start Up Shelfari

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by Laura Rich
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Aug 26 2008 10:42am EDT

Amazon.com Buys Book Start-up Shelfari

Sam Gustin says: More action for Amazon.com.

The giant online retailer has snapped up Shelfari, a small Seattle-based start-up for the bibliophile crowd that allows users to share virtual bookshelves. Terms were not disclosed.

Amazon.com's purchase of Shelfari, which has already created a Facebook application, follows a $1 million investment in the company.

Earlier this month, Amazon.com bought AbeBooks, a niche bookseller focused on rare, tough-to-find titles.

And there, the plot thickens: AbeBooks owns a 40 percent stake in LibraryThing, one of Shelfari's top competitors. Turns out LibraryThing and Shelfari are antagonists.

In a blog posting commenting on the news, LibraryThing calls Shelfari a "less intellectual" offering not deserving of respect.

Will Amazon.com be able to soothe any bruised feelings?. □

Laura Rich is a co-founder of Recessionwire, which provides news, advice, perspective and humor about the recession and the recovery.

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