As Alibris is acquired, blogging CEO Martin Manley is reflecting on the company’s failed IPO. He’s posting the daily journals that he emailed to Alibris employees in May 2004, as he shopped the company around to investors:

Day One: London
Day Two: Stretchin’

Meeting three. Smart investor. Understood ecommerce, understood Amazon. I was about unveil my Levi-Strauss theory of used books (”this category is so hot, publishers are gonna print ‘em to look used when they are brand new - like blue jeans”!). Blessedly, our time expired.