The New York Times is reporting that Borders, the second largest bookstore chain in the country, is being shopped around. Who might want to buy Borders? Why, Barnes & Noble, of course–the largest bookstore chain in the country.

For more than a year, there has been speculation on Wall Street that Borders Group might be sold, possibly to its larger rival, Barnes & Noble.

A combination of Barnes & Noble and Borders, the No. 1 and No. 2 bookstore chains in the United States, respectively, would surely get the attention of antitrust regulators.

But the recent merger between Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Markets, the two largest sellers of organic and natural foods, has given some analysts hope that a deal between Borders and Barnes & Noble might pass muster.

I, for one, think this is a great idea. In fact, I think that Barnes & Noble should purchase all the publishing houses as well. That way, they can completely control what gets published, what gets promoted, and receive 100% of the profits to boot! Maybe we could just have one editor in charge of it all. Of course he would have to delegate his workload a bit, but still… One editor, one bookstore, one cover design, one printing press (in China, of course), and maybe, ohhhhhh… 15 writers? Imagine how low the overhead would be! Doesn’t that just sound so efficient?