I think this topic got a little lost, so I'll try to bring it back to its original intent. I was in a used book store with my son and found a great little book that while not a hacking book still touched the techie side of my brain while intertwining intrigue, history, fraud, patents, law... what else could you want!
The Telephone Gambit: Chasing Alexander Graham Bell's Secret by Seth Shulman
http://www.amazon.com/The-Telephone-Gambit-Chasing-Alexander/dp/0393062066
While researching Alexander Graham Bell at MIT’s Dibner Institute, Seth Shulman scrutinized Bell’s journals and within them he found the smoking gun, a hint of deeply buried historical intrigue. Delving further, Shulman unearthed the surprising story behind the invention of the telephone: a tale of romance, corruption, and unchecked ambition. Bell furtively—and illegally—copied part of Elisha Gray’s invention in the race to secure what would become the most valuable U.S. patent ever issued. And afterward, as Bell’s device led to the world’s largest monopoly, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company, he hid his invention’s illicit beginnings. In The Telephone Gambit, Shulman challenges the reputation of an icon of invention, rocks the foundation of a corporate behemoth, and offers a probing meditation on how little we know about our own history.
Inside the book, the author also mentions "The Telephone Patent Conspiracy of 1876: The Elisha Gray-Alexander Bell Controversy and Its Many Players" by A. Edward Evenson which is an older book, looks to be more of a 'just the facts" work but is also much more expensive.
http://www.amazon.com/Telephone-Patent-Conspiracy-1876-Gray-Alexander/dp/0786408839/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1346161404&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=THE+TELPHONE+PATENT+CONSPIRACY+OF+1876Either book you choose, the story being presented is fascinating. Great read to keep your mind going even when not hacking!
Don
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