SparkNotes

SparkNotes
Type of site
Study guide
Available inEnglish
OwnerBarnes & Noble
Created bySam Yagan, Max Krohn, Chris Coyne, and Eli Bolotin
URLwww.sparknotes.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedSeptember 1, 1999[1]
Current statusActive

SparkNotes, originally part of a website called The Spark, is a company started by Harvard students Sam Yagan, Max Krohn, Chris Coyne, and Eli Bolotin in 1999 that originally provided study guides for literature, poetry, history, film, and philosophy. Later on, SparkNotes expanded to provide study guides for a number of other subjects, including biology, chemistry, economics, health, math, physics, and sociology. Until 2022, when SparkNotes Plus, a paid service, released, SparkNotes did not charge users to use any of its resources. SparkNotes receives revenue from advertisements.

Barnes & Noble acquired SparkNotes.com in 2001 for approximately $3.5 million.[2]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference history was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Barnes & Noble inc, Form 10-Q, Quarterly Report, Filing Date Jun 18, 2001". secdatabase.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018.