In 2005 I started a part-time project to document the history of phone phreaking (huh? what?), focusing on the 1960s through the 1980s. It's since turned into a substantially-more-than-full-time effort. I've interviewed hundreds of people -- phone phreaks, telephone company employees, law enforcement personnel, spooks, you name 'em. I've waded through thousands of pages of newspaper and magazine articles, books, court cases, FBI files, telephone company memos, and government documents.
All to answer questions like: How did phone phreaking start? Who were the first phone phreaks? What motivated people to undertake this interesting but illegal hobby? What did the telephone company think about them? How did the government view them?
My history of phone phreaking will be released in book form in 2010. Much of the source material, including many documents and some interviews, will be posted here. Please check back regularly for updates, subscribe to my blog, or drop me a line if you'd like to be added to my email list to stay updated on phone phreak history happenings.