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Site Reviews Biblioctopus is a rare used bookstore in Beverly Hills. Their Website lists about 300 of their offerings and does so with flair. The self described "catalog with an attitude" currently has four sections which typically offer most of the twentieth century fiction "classics" plus some other goodies such as manuscripts. As a used book seller their descriptions make an effort to detail the condition of the book, including whether the all important jacket has a tear or if any inscriptions have been added (often by the author, and often revealing). Where it gets interesting is in the descriptions relating to the historical significance of the books where the catalogs make no effort to disguise unabashed opinions. Discussing the future collectability of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, the catalog writes, "Steadfastly emerging as Steinbeck's most loved work, certainly his most widely read among a generation of young readers destined to be tomorrow's book collectors despite an obsession with their degree of denim fade, rainbow hair, derivative tattoos, Nintendo callused hands and facial jewelry reminiscent of bass lures and paper clips in a bad imitation of a living wind chime." And you thought you were book shopping. Other descriptions successfully stay on topic, such as the succinct description of Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage which reads "the first modern war novel, merging realism, symbolism, naturalism and impressionism in a psychological portrayal of fear targeting a haunted creature who typifies all untried men." This would go a long way in helping the thousands of high school book reports churned out on this topic each year. In the course of describing the books for sale, many proclamations are made, such as "Joyce's Dubliners and Hemingway's In Our Time are the two most influential collections of stories published in the 20th century." You'll also find a short list of "the inevitable classics in English" which includes On the Road and Naked Lunch. The list of offerings on the Biblioctopus site is worth a read. The descriptions are unabashedly opinionated, reflect a depth of literary knowledge, and make a bold attempt to cast books with an inherently fluctuating historical perspective. 
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