Independent bookstores have been on the decline for a while now it seems, but I was surprised that even the chain bookstores are having trouble making a go of it in NYC these days:

In the past, those smaller stores were pushed out by superstores — a trend memorably depicted in the 1998 film “You’ve Got Mail” — leaving book lovers worried that someday, Manhattan would be dominated by chain bookstores.

But now the chain stores are shutting down, too. Since 2007, five Barnes & Noble stores through...