The PayPal Wars by Eric M. Jackson (2008)

Did you know that eBay's 1998 purchase of PayPal was not so much an acquisition as it was a case if you can't beat 'em, buy 'em? That's just one of the fun facts you'll learn from Eric M. Jackson's "The PayPal Wars: Battles with eBay, the Media, the Mafia, and the Rest of Planet Earth".

This corporate coming-of-age epic details the growth of the upstart start-up from its humble beginnings as Confinity (where it began life as a payment-exchange method for Palm Pilots and other PDAs) through its acquisition by x.com (now morphed into xe.com, home of the free currency converter, among other things) to its debut as PayPal.

Along the way, PayPal fought eBay's efforts to keep it off the site, avoided being hijacked by the mafia, and somehow managed a successful IPO. How? Read all about it in "The PayPal Wars". Whether you love the company or hate it, it's a well-written, briskly paced story that makes for fascinating reading. You might not be able to find a copy on eBay, but do check there first.

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