About Us

BASICS

Every entry includes the six bookselling essentials: author, title, place of publication, date, a bibliographical conclusion, and a physical description, typically in that order. Commercial listings have practical limits, but whatever we choose to highlight reflects the weighing of many factors at once — their interdependence, their relative importance, their consequences. The goal is width, breadth, and depth. You can decide whether we've achieved it.

THIS WEBSITE

We built this website the same way the ancients built their cities, over time, with an altering plan, on top of ruins. So, books listed here are subject to prior sale.

PLAGIARISM

Attributed quotations appear in quotation marks. Everything else — the pithy aphorisms, wry epigrams, dry metaphors — has been stolen, kidnapped, and pillaged from everywhere and everyone, then corrupted, inverted, and cheerfully misemployed for your breezy reading.

METHODOLOGY

We apply intellectual history, iconography, iconology, semiotics, formalism, connoisseurship, and whatever else seems helpful — free from the stifling limits usually imposed by academia.

JARGON

We never spin "fine" into a term that tolerates faults. You won't find "fine plus," "very fine," "extraordinarily fine," or "unimaginably fine" here. Tempo beats grammar, so we shun comma rules in favor of rhythm. Restoration and repair are clearly noted, without evasive language. "Contemporary" means parallel to publication day. "Postmodern" means post-WWII — no more, no less. "Ex-somebody" means it was once owned by that person.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Photography is always accomplished to convey a straightforward and high quality view of the item. Nothing has been intentionally positioned to hide its failings, the associated text candidly describes the item itself, not just the deficiencies peculiar to, and obvious in, the picture, and those items, or sides of items, that are not illustrated, have their flaws articulated with special clarity.

SHARED ESSENCE

While the dissimilarity of material may veil it, under the premise that unity in variety is the plan of the universe.

TIMELINESS

Logically, everything is subject to prior sale.

TAXES

Sales tax is collected for shipments to California and New York at the destination's current rate.

ECOLOGY

Biblioctopus strives to be 100% green. Most items have been recycled — almost all of them more than once.

DELIVERY

Everything is shipped fully insured via FedEx, UPS or USPS, but we may take a few days to get it wrapped.

ASSURANCES

Everything is guaranteed authentic and, regardless of vintage, way cool. Living authors' manuscripts carry specific disclaimers of warranty.

INSUFFICIENT THRILLS

All sales are on approval. Items may be returned within 8 days, for any reason, for a full refund. Everything remains the property of Biblioctopus LLC until paid in full.

Owner: Alex Hime