While you don’t have to master all of the technical ins and outs of Bitcoin to start using it, it’s important to learn some of its basics and fundamentals before you invest.
Here’s the thing: Everyone starts somewhere.
I was once a beginner.
I’ve been hearing about Bitcoin for many years but dismissed most of it early on as I’ve been busy building my publishing empire.
It’s not until September 2017, just a couple of months before the bitcoin’s historic 2017 bull run that I decided to dive deep into the crypto space.
Attempting to understand what’s happening in the market, I spent countless hours scrolling through the endless Telegram chats, listening to Youtube videos and reading daily news. But it left me even more confused than before.
Suddenly, everyone’s an expert. And everyone has something to say about it. Without a basic understanding of the technology, you can easily fall prey to get-rich-quick schemes and ICO scams.
Luckily, there’s a better way to learn everything you need to know about Bitcoin and its underlying technology- books!
Whether you’re a beginner to Bitcoin or simply want to stay up to date with the industry, here are 5 best books on Bitcoin that I think should be on your must-read list.
5 Best Books To Read On Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency
by Andreas M. Antonopoulos
Andreas Antonopoulos, a coder, technologist, entrepreneur, public speaker, author, is one of the world’s foremost bitcoin and open blockchain experts. He has been contributing to the crypto space by giving talks to educate, inform and inspire the public across the globe.
The Internet of Money is actually a compilation of informative talks given by Andreas.
In this book, he not only explains the technical issues so well without getting too technical, but also give us the bigger picture themes on why a shift to digital currency matters.
If you’re new to the crypto world, this is the book you should read first before delving deep into the technology and start investing.
After reading this book, I’m intrigued by its decentralized technology. It helps me see the many possibilities of how this technology could revolutionize our way of living, of how we could run a better world and reach toward better humanity.
“Bitcoin is not just money for the internet. Currency is only the first application.”
2. The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking
by Saifedean Ammous
To understand Bitcoin, you must first understand money, and to understand money, there’s no alternative to the study of function and history of money.
In this book, Saifedean Ammous, an economist explains how money works and how monetary systems evolved from trading beads and seashells to metals and coins, from the gold standard to modern government debt.
Zoom out and see the big picture. This book will show you how the monetary system transition, from ancient times to the present day.
Ammous further explains why some money works better than others, what’s wrong with money today and why Bitcoin represents a new technological solution to the money problem.
The final chapter of the book explores some of the most common questions that beginners will have when they go deeper into the world of Bitcoin: Is Bitcoin mining a waste? Why nobody can change Bitcoin? Is Bitcoin for criminals? Can Bitcoin scale? How to kill Bitcoin and more.
Don’t worry, this isn’t your typical history textbook. And Ammous doesn’t go deep into the technical aspect of Bitcoin.
But rather it’s an incredibly informative and thought-provoking read about the economic properties of Bitcoin, its operation and its applications in the real world.
We study history of money not to predict the future but to widen our horizons, to understand the problem of our economic system, and see the possibility of having a decentralized alternative to central banking.
Whether you’re interested in the history of money or wondering why financial crisis happens and what makes Bitcoin different, this book is for you.
3. The Little Bitcoin Book: Why Bitcoin Matters for Your Freedom, Finances, and Future
by Alejandro Machado, Jimmy Song, Alena Vranova, Timi Ajiboye, Luis Buenaventura, Lily Liu, Alexander Lloyd, Alex Gladstein
The book is exactly what the title says about it – a great introduction to Bitcoin.
It is quick, concise, and thorough!
There are tons of great books about Bitcoin out there, but most of them can be a little too deep for a total newcomer.
If you’re looking for something easy-to-read or simply want to learn more about Bitcoin in one setting without any technical jargon, you should definitely check out this book.
The interesting part is that this book was written by a group of 8 crypto enthusiasts in just four days. With their own unique set of knowledge, expertize and experience, they brainstorm, collaborate and put together a book that covers most questions and concerns around the new digital currency.
It describes in simple terms what Bitcoin is, why Bitcoin was invented, problems with today’s monetary system, how Bitcoin works, and how it will change politics and society.
4. Bitcoin Billionaires: A True Story of Genius, Betrayal, and Redemption
By Ben Mezrich
You probably already know the story of Facebook and the Winklevoss twins.
Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss are often remembered for suing Zuckerberg, claiming the Facebook stole their idea for an Internet social network.
This is a book on what happened to the twins after the epic legal battle with Facebook, how they stumbled upon Bitcoin and became the first bitcoin billionaires.
After receiving $65million settlement with Mark Zuckerberg, they’re planning to start careers as venture capitalists, but quickly realized that their money is unwelcome in Silicon Valley. While taking a break from reality in Ibiza, they learn about a crazy new idea called cryptocurrency.
They made a big bet on Bitcoin and won big.
As you follow their journey, Mezrich does a great job explaining the basics of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. Whether Bitcoin is the future of money, you’ll have to read this book to draw your own conclusion.
5. Mastering Bitcoin: Unlocking Digital Cryptocurrencies
by
If you’re serious about understanding the technology or want to know the nuts and bolts of Bitcoin, this is the only book you will need.
This book covers the technical aspects of how Bitcoin works from keys, wallets, addresses, transactions, blockchain, mining, bitcoin security, network and more.
This book is ideal for those who are not so tech-savvy like myself, and want to improve understanding of the Protocol.
It also provides practical details on how to participate in the biggest financial revolution of the century.
Over to You
This is by no means an exhaustive list but these are some of my favorites.
They are great starting points for beginners as well as experienced investors.
What do you think?
Have you read any of these books?
What are some of the Bitcoin books that are really worth reading that you think should add to this list?
Tell me in the comments!
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