Burkle wants to meet board members who are not company executives to discuss the company's poison pill provision, which the board put in place November to thwart hostile takeover attempts.
Burkle's comments came in a letter to the board dated Feb. 25 and filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Burkle's investment firm Yucaipa Cos LLC owns 18.7 percent of the bookstore chain.
Last month, Burkle asked the board for permission to double his stake in Barnes & Noble without triggering the poison pill provision, which goes into effect once any single investor exceeds 20 percent ownership.
The board voted unanimously last week not to waive it.
The poison pill is designed to prevent hostile takeovers by allowing current shareholders to dilute the buyer's holdings by purchasing more shares at a discount.
It also allows existing Barnes & Noble shareholders to purchase the buyer's shares at a steep discount in the event of a takeover.
A Barnes & Noble spokeswoman declined to comment on the letter.
Members of the Riggio family, including Barnes & Noble Chief Executive Stephen Riggio and founder and Chairman Leonard Riggio, and company insiders own about 31 percent of the company's shares.
Barnes & Noble shares were up 2 cents to to $20.20 in midday trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
(Reporting by Phil Wahba. Editing by Robert MacMillan) Keywords: BARNESNOBLE/ (phil.wahba@thomsonreuters.com; +1 646 223 6128; Reuters Messaging: phil.wahba.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2010. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
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