The rise and fall of Borders: By the numbers

After 40 years, the once-ubiquitous bookstore chain appears headed for liquidation

The rise and fall of Borders: By the numbers
(Image credit: Brooks Kraft/CORBIS)

After filing for bankruptcy protection in February and closing nearly one-third of its stores, Borders now stands on the brink of a total liquidation, after a bidding deadline passed Sunday evening without anyone making an offer on the bookstore chain ahead of a bankruptcy auction planned for Tuesday. How did it come to this? Here, a brief guide, by the numbers, to the rise and fall of the nation's second-largest bookstore chain:

40

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