It’s fair to assume that when learning about cryptocurrency or blockchains, considering its high-tech nature, your primary source for information is likely the internet. Even though we, as a society, are conditioned to refer to Google for all of life’s questions, sometimes the best way to learn about a complicated topic is from a good old-fashioned book. With books, there are no ads, no notifications, no temptation to check the latest Bitcoin price, just pure vetted information on the topic you want to learn more about.
Unfortunately, books on cryptocurrency are few and far between, likely due to the relatively young age of the industry and the digital foundation it’s built upon. However, you’re not just looking for an entertaining book to enjoy over Sunday morning coffee. What you need is a peer-reviewed book written by an industry expert with reliable content on your crypto topic of interest. That’s why, in this case, quality is far more important than quantity.
Here are some of the best cryptocurrency books we have found that will help you on your journey to mastering bitcoin, altcoins, and blockchain technology.
What Are The Best Bitcoin Books?
The Book of Satoshi: The Collected Writings of Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto
The Book of Satoshi is one of the essential books in cryptocurrency literature you should read. Through a collection of texts from Bitcoin creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, it explains and showcases the vision, creation, and evolution of Bitcoin.
Like the currency itself, the identity of Nakamoto is virtual and exists only online in the publications that introduced and explained Bitcoin during its earliest days. Here, collected and professionally published are the essential writings that detail Bitcoin’s creation. Although this book does not reveal who Satoshi Nakamoto is, it does give educated hints based on the known facts of their identity.
The Book of Satoshi looks into the communication intermediaries used by Nakamoto during the development of Bitcoin and how they managed communications with their team of developers. Beyond the exploration of Nakamoto, this book also covers prominent topics from mining, 51% attacks, Bitcoin faucets, and a discussion between Nakamoto and others that would eventually become a precursor to the ongoing Zerocoin idea.
The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money Are Challenging the Global Economic Order
The Age of Cryptocurrency was written back in 2015 by Wall Street Journal reporters Paul Vigna and Michael Casey. It is one of the top cryptocurrency books and still proves to be extremely relevant today. It explores the fears and rumors surrounding Bitcoin and encourages readers to prepare for a new economic reality that will come.
Together, Vigna and Casey examine and thoroughly answer the question of why the world should care about Bitcoin by presenting the idea of a financial system run on Bitcoin and how such a system could have prevented the economic fallout of 2008. The authors have intelligently balanced their theory by also exploring the potential downsides of a Bitcoin-based financial system, specifically mentioning the risk of anonymous money transfers used by criminal and terror organizations to conduct business.
Unlike any other cryptocurrency books, The Age of Cryptocurrency draws from the perspective of Afghan women who make their income from online means to help reveal the many uses and benefits of Bitcoin. This book also analyzes the origin of bitcoin, the role of cryptocurrencies in the modern world, the status of this emergent industry, and explores who the big names involved in cryptocurrency are.
Mastering Bitcoin
Mastering Bitcoin by Bitcoin educator and industry expert, Andreas Antonopoulos, is a must-read for people who already have a grasp on the basics of Bitcoin but want to take their crypto game to new heights. This guide to bitcoin will help you navigate the seemingly complex world of Bitcoin by providing you with the requisite knowledge you need to participate and succeed in the internet of money.
This book on Bitcoin includes a broad introduction to Bitcoin, an explanation of the technical foundations behind the currency, details of the Bitcoin decentralized network, transaction lifecycle, peer-to-peer architecture, and more. Mastering Bitcoin also dives into altcoins and their unique technology, including user stories, analogies, examples, and code snippets illustrating key technical concepts.
Whether you’re building the next big startup, investing in a new app, or even just curious about the technology, this book has the digital currency answers and explanations you need.
Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies is Changing the World
Written by father-son duo, Don and Alex Tapscott, Blockchain Revolution is one of the best books on blockchain to help you understand blockchain technology and the possible impacts it could have on the world. This book is excellent at explaining the nuances of blockchain in easy to understand terms. The Tappscotts are a leading voice and influence in blockchain, and you will find that most, if not all, blockchain thinkers and implementers are familiar with their work.
Blockchain Revolution provides an unbiased analysis of the technology. This book not only talks about the technology in terms of its applications for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies but also all other possible use cases for blockchain. It presents the history of the technology, the pros and cons of its implementation, and the industries that will be disrupted by blockchain. According to the Tapscotts, the delivery of expanding financial services and the safeguarding of personal identity information will be tremendously improved by blockchain and smart contracts.
Together, Don and Alex Tapscott take an extremely complex topic and offer a deep dive into what it will mean for everyone, describing vividly how such applications will affect the real world.
American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road
American Kingpin is a cryptocurrency book that details the story of 26-year-old libertarian, Ross Ulbricht, from when he started a dark web marketplace named “Silk Road”, until his arrest by the FBI in 2014. Drawing on exclusive access to key players and the two billion digital words and images Ross left behind, American Kingpin offers a tale that might seem too outrageous for non-fiction. However, the story of Silk Road and how it connects to the development of Bitcoin is all too real.
Written by New York Times best-selling author Nick Bilton, this is an astonishing story of one young man’s ambitions taking a left turn from the law. Inside, you witness the clash between the new world of libertarian-leaning, anonymous, decentralized web advocates, and the old world of government control, order, and the rule of law. American Kingpin perfectly describes the incredible challenge law enforcement faced in their mission to shut down Silk Road due to it leveraging the un-seizable store of value, Bitcoin.
Conclusion
There are many cryptocurrency books out there, but these are some of the best page-turners we have read that easily break down the language of bitcoins and blockchains.
Want to start diving into the crypto pool while you wait for your book to arrive? Get your feet wet with our Comprehensive List of Crypto Guides for Beginners.
