Going by the latest information forwarded at the Barnes & Noble (B&N) Web site, the company's yet-to-be-shipped e-reader, Nook, is officially "sold out" through 2009 - with the entire stock for the holidays having been consumed by the pre-orders!

With the message that B&N has posted atop its Web page reads thus: "The hottest holiday gift is out of stock. Order the Nook today to be first in line for the New Year," buyers desirous of ordering the Nook will have to wait until the company expects to ship additional readers - which will not be before January 4.

Explaining the situation that B&N is in, Sarah Rotman Epps, a Forrester Research analyst elaborated that the company had clearly rushed to announce its e-reader to compete with the Amazon Kindle, even though it was not fully prepared to sell a large number of units this year!

Meanwhile, B&N spokeswoman Mary Ellen Keating confirmed that for buyers who have already ordered the Nook, the device will be made available in time for the holidays.

In addition, for the potential Nook buyers during the holidays, B&N has come up with an arrangement whereby it is encouraging people to preorder the Nook to be given as a gift - the bookseller will, by December 24, send an "elegant Nook holiday certificate" to serve as a placeholder until the new stock of the Nook arrives.