Cover Story -- The Best Entrepreneurs

JEFF BEZOS

Former hedge-fund manager JEFF BEZOS, 32, has created one of the rare Web sites that's booming. His Amazon.com is a virtual bookstore with 1.1 million titles and such amenities as chats with authors and readers' reviews. The blend of selection and "community" helped the privately-held Amazon.com pull in estimated sales of $17 million in 1996.