El Segundo, Calif. (August 10,1992)--Merisel, Inc. today announced its
entry into the growing market of online services by signing an exclusive
agreement with Ventana Press to distribute to the computer retail channel
The America Online Membership Kit and Tour Guide. America Online and
Ventana Press formed a strategic alliance in May, 1992, to collaborate on
new offerings that will combine printed books with online components in
one package.

The America online Membership Kit & Tour Guide consists of the access
software necessary to get up and running as well as a handbook on the
America Online service. A special offer of 10 hours of free time will be
made to all purchasers. With a comprehensive book and 10 hours of free
time, the AOL Membership kit will enable users to "Explore Before They
Pay". The Macintosh and DOS versions will be available in October. A
Windows version is currently under development.

"America Online is widely lauded for its variety of offerings, exceptional
accessibility, elegant graphic interface and competitive price," said
Merisel Director of Software David Weiss. "The coupling of this popular
service with the high editorial standards of Ventana Press makes it a
winning product."

"The arrangement with Merisel ensures a strong position in the
marketplace," said Ventana Press President Josef Woodman. "The America
Online/Ventana Press alliance will unite the permanence of printed
information with the breadth and dynamism of the America Online service to
deliver a powerful information tool to personal computer users."

"We're delighted to be teaming up with Merisel, one of the software
industry's leading distributors," said America Online, Inc. President
Stephen M. Case. "This association continues our strategy to broaden the
base of America Online subscribers."

America Online, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMER), based in Vienna, Va., is the third
largest provider of online services to consumers in the United States. The
company offers subscribers a wide variety of services including electronic
mail, conferencing, news, sports, weather, stock quotes, software,
computing support and online classes. These services can be accessed from
a broad range of personal computers using America Online's proprietary,
icon-based windowing software. Founded in 1985, the company has
established strategic alliances with a wide variety of leaders in the
personal computer industry, including IBM, Apple, Tandy and Microsoft.

Ventana Press, located in Chapel Hill, N.C., publishes and markets computer
books to the general user, with an eye toward increasing productivity and
improving the professional quality of computer generated materials. Recent
bestsellers include The System 7 Book by Craig Danuloff, the Windows. Word
& Excel by Patrick Burns, Looking Good In Print by Roger Parker and Voodoo
DOS by Kay Yarborough Nelson.

Merisel, Inc. (NASDAQ:MSEL) is the world's largest publicly held
distributor of microcomputer hardware and software products. The company
presently stocks products from more than 700 manufacturers for sale to
50,000 resellers worldwide. It currently maintains 20 distribution centers
that serve North America, Latin America and Australia Merisel is
authorized to sell more than 10,000 products from manufacturers such as
ALR, Apple, AST Research, Borland, Compaq, Digital Equipment Corp., Hayes,
IBM, Intel, Lotus Development, Microsoft, NEC Technologies, Novell,
Okidata, Software Publishing Corp., Sun Microsystems, Symantec,
WordPerfect and Wyse Technology, and offers a wide range of services to
support resellers with the sales of these products.

Merisel, 200 Continental Blvd, El Segundo, CA 90245
310-615-3080   Fax: 310-615-1263

  +---------------------------------------------------------------+
  |   From the America Online - New Product Information Services  |
  +===============================================================+
  | This information was processed from data provided by the      |
  | above mentioned company. For additional details, contact the  |
  | company at the address or telephone number indicated above.   |
  |    All submissions for this service should be addressed to    |
  |   BAKER ENTERPRISES, 20 Ferro Drive, Sewell, NJ 08080 U.S.A.  |
  +---------------------------------------------------------------+