SparkNotes

SparkNotes
Website type
Study guide
Available inEnglish
OwnerBarnes & Noble
CreatorSam Yagan, Max Krohn, Chris Coyne, Eli Bolotin
Websitesparknotes.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationOptional
LaunchedSeptember 1, 1999
Current statusActive
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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.