The canonical instance of this is, in full irony, one of the precursors of the Internet: the Whole Earth Catalog (instituted now largely as Wired Magazine). I

The canonical instance of this is, in full irony, one of the precursors of the Internet: the Whole Earth Catalog (instituted now largely as Wired Magazine). Its premise: The WHOLE EARTH CATALOG functions as an evaluation and access device. With it, the user should know better what is worth getting and where and how to do the getting. An item is listed in the CATALOG if it is deemed: (1) Useful as a tool, (2) Relevant to independent education, (3) High quality or low cost, (4) Not already common knowledge, (5) Easily available by mail. Save that last, the current iteration of the Internet, the actual whole-Earth catalogue, is itself an anti WEC. Rather than "access to tools", it is overwhelmingly "access to shit". (I could also have listed the Sears Catalog, somewhat less-credible offerings such as Sharper Image or Brookstone, or any number of others. Costco is a current exemplar of this strategy, in that it selects quality merchandise, as does (or did) Marks & Spencer. Not necessarily cheap, but high value.