October 05, 2010:

The Library of Congress has reached an agreement with Amazon Europe to make at least 50,000 public books available around the world to customers on www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de and www.amazon.fr using print on-demand technology, an inventory-free, cost-efficient publishing solution that only manufactures titles as customers order them.

This announcement with The Library of Congress follows the announcement in February 2010 that The British Library would be bringing at least 65,000 public domain titles to market using print on-demand. From Victorian classics to "penny dreadfuls," readers now have access to The British Library's unique collection of historic content.

As part of their ongoing efforts to improve access to material through digitisation, the libraries provide Amazon Europe's print on-demand business with digital copies of scanned public domain books in their collections to be manufactured on-demand. Creating digital files from physical books preserves the integrity of the original works, and the new paperback editions available through Amazon's European websites increase accessibility of those works to readers.

"We are pleased to now give the public a way to enjoy print on-demand access to Library collections around the world," said Dr. Deanna Marcum, associate librarian for Library Services, The Library of Congress.

With Amazon Europe's print on-demand, these national libraries will make a large selection of content available quickly and easily via www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de and www.amazon.fr with little economic investment. Since titles are only manufactured in response to customer demand, no inventory is needed and the titles will never go out-of-stock, making print on-demand an economic, convenient, and environmentally responsible public access solution for libraries. All titles in the print on-demand programme benefit from Amazon’s delivery services such as Amazon Prime and Free Super Saver Delivery.

The Library of Congress and The British Library are the most recent organisations to work with Amazon Europe's print on-demand business to give readers access to rare or out-of-print titles. Other noteworthy institutions – such as The University of Michigan Library and Princeton University Press – collectively have already made tens of thousands of titles available on Amazon's European websites using Amazon Europe's print on-demand business.

The Library of Congress is also making a wide selection of content available through www.amazon.com via CreateSpace print on-demand.

For more information about Amazon Europe's print on-demand offerings, please visit http://www.amazon.co.uk/POD (for the U.K.) and http://www.amazon.de/POD (for Germany).

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For further information please contact the Amazon.co.uk Ltd press office on 020 8636 9280.

About The Library of Congress
The Library of Congress, America's oldest federal cultural institution, is the world's preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled collections and integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Many of the Library’s rich resources and treasures may also be accessed through the Library’s website, www.loc.gov, and via interactive exhibitions on a personalized website at myLOC.gov.

About The British Library
The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and one of the world's greatest research libraries. It provides world class information services to the academic, business, research and scientific communities and offers unparalleled access to the world's largest and most comprehensive research collection. The Library's collection has developed over 250 years and exceeds 150 million separate items representing every age of written civilisation. It includes: books, journals, manuscripts, maps, stamps, music, patents, newspapers and sound recordings in all written and spoken languages. Further information is available on the Library's website at www.bl.uk.

About Amazon.co.uk
Amazon.co.uk opened its virtual doors in October 1998 and strives to be the world’s most customer-centric company, where people can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavours to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.co.uk and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as books, movies, music, MP3, PC and video games, software, electronics and photo, home and garden, toys and games, baby, shoes, jewellery and watches, health and beauty, DIY and tools, clothing, office and sports and leisure.

Amazon.co.uk is a trading name for Amazon EU S.a.r.l, Amazon Services Europe S.a.r.l and Amazon Media EU S.a.r.l. All three are wholly owned subsidiaries of global online retailer Amazon.com, Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN), located in Seattle, Washington

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca and www.amazon.cn.

As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.