Google, Barnes & Noble unite to take on Amazon

Google and Barnes & Noble are joining forces to tackle their mutual rival Amazon, zeroing in on a service that Amazon has long dominated: the fast, cheap delivery of books.

Effective yesterday, Manhattan, West Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area book buyers could get same-day deliveries from Barnes & Noble stores via Google Shopping Express, the Web giant's fledgling online shopping and delivery service, according to the New York Times.

The partnership could help Barnes & Noble in the online world after closing 63 of its brick-and-mortar stores in the last five years.

Google has said it plans to expand its delivery service to Brooklyn and Queens.

Read more from the New York Times.