Every time the crypto market is growing so is the public interest in it. Everyone wants to learn what’s going on, what’s the deal with cryptocurrency, and what are the reasons behind the meteoric rise of money “based on thin air.”
Books are one of the most comprehensive ways to learn the topic. Reading articles is cool too, but they might not give you the whole picture at once. We’ve researched the literature and gathered the clearest crypto and blockchain books. They explain how these technologies work, and what that means to you personally.
These are the books on how blockchain affects the economy; investors’ advice to those who want to take profit from the market growth; implications on how blockchain will reshape the data exchange and the civilization as a whole. There is also a guide on building blockchain networks for tech-advanced readers with practical interest.
Make yourself comfortable and find the book that fits your interests best.
Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money
Although this book was published in 2015, it’s still relevant as it depicts the story of Bitcoin’s invention and the technologies behind it. The early history of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency is described. The author is Nathaniel Popper, a tech reporter who was on a shortlist for the Financial Time and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award.
Back in the early 2010s, Bitcoin was considered a dubious idea and a passion of a small group of geeks, cryptography enthusiasts, and libertarians. But the project was very well-made, and the early devs and users were dedicated to bringing the value of Bitcoin to the masses — a utopian idea of returning the true ownership of money to people. Ultimately, the entire Bitcoin is worth almost $1 trillion by now, with the total crypto market cap being twice as higher.
The book describes how early adopters achieved that, and what was the role of Bitcoin’s founder(s) Satoshi Nakamoto, Winklevoss brothers, and notorious Ross Ulbricht.
Mastering Bitcoin: Programming the Open Blockchain
While the previous book is more on the history and philosophy of Bitcoin, this one describes how it works. Don’t worry, no tech background is necessary: the author made sure it is understandable to regular users, business executives, and investors. However, there are also some lines of code included making the book helpful for devs, too.
“Mastering Bitcoin” was written by Andreas Antonopoulos — a Bitcoin specialist and entrepreneur, founder of 3 crypto businesses, and numerous open-source projects. His work is considered one of the most fundamental cryptography books and the best cryptocurrency books.
In this work, Antonopoulos describes the decentralized web architecture, the concept of peer-to-peer value transfer, and crypto transaction pathways. Further scaling solutions of Bitcoin network such as Segregated Witness and Lightning Network are described.
Blockchain: Blueprint for a New Economy
This book is rather focused on blockchain, not cryptocurrency. Although Bitcoin was the first project built on blockchain, soon it became clear that this technology has many other real-life applications. A decentralized database that is fully transparent and immutable can make healthcare systems more efficient, academic publishing cheaper, and any kind of governance more open. This book depicts the enormous potential that blockchain has to offer to barely every domain of life.
The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains: An Introduction to Cryptocurrencies and the Technology that Powers Them (Cryptography, Crypto Trading, Digital Assets)
This intro is a comprehensive cryptocurrency 101 for beginners. Here, you will find everything for understanding crypto and starting to take profit from it.
In the first part of this book, the author gives an intro to crypto and blockchain history. In the second part, he describes how digital coins work — and it’s not all about Bitcoin, but also about Ethereum and other crypto giants. In the third part, an overview and applications of blockchain are presented. And from the fourth part of “The Basics”, you will learn how to buy and invest in cryptocurrencies, and what you need to know before the start.
“The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains” is one of the most thorough, yet easy-to-read books on cryptocurrency.
The Blockchain Developer: A Practical Guide for Designing, Implementing, Publishing, Testing, and Securing Distributed Blockchain-based Projects
We’re done with the “Bitcoin for dummies” crypto books! “The Blockchain Developer” is quite a hardcore piece for those who seek knowledge on building and managing blockchain systems. It describes in detail the distributed LEDGER technology, explains how consensus algorithms work and how mining and staking are crucial to cryptocurrencies’ functioning. Crypto wallets and the nature of crypto transactions are explained. The author brings code examples and real-life applications of the described technologies.
If you’re a dev interested in blockchain, “The Blockchain Developer” is among the top crypto recommendations.
Cryptoassets: The Innovative Investor’s Guide to Bitcoin and Beyond
Why does cryptocurrency has cost expressed in ‘real-world’ money? “Cryptoassets” explains what constitutes the value of digital coins, and how to choose currencies in which to invest. This thorough guide will help you understand how to put together your crypto portfolio, how to assess different crypto projects, and more.
The Truth Machine: The Blockchain and the Future of Everything
The big words in the title of this book reflect its contents pretty well. The authors are showing how blockchain may reshape the very structure of power in society, bringing it closer to people. Once widely adopted, blockchain will help us really own our money, control our identities and the data we produce. By raising inclusiveness and people’s control, blockchain may reinvigorate the faith of the society in itself.
