The cryptocurrency and blockchain fields are constantly evolving, so it’s important to keep up-to-date on the latest developments. In this article, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best crypto books on blockchain and cryptocurrency that will help you learn from the pros!
Blockchain Revolution
How the Technology Behind Bitcoin Is Changing Money, Business, and the World by Don and Alex Tapscott
| đź“ś Number of Pages | 365 |
| ⏰ Time to Read | 7-9 hours |
The first book on our list is Blockchain Revolution by Don and Alex Tapscott–a father some team. Don is famous for his book Wikinomics and Alex is the blockchain expert.
This best-selling book provides a comprehensive overview of blockchain technology and its potential implications for businesses and society.
If you’re new to blockchain and want an informative read, then this is the book for you.
The Age of Cryptocurrency
How Bitcoin and Digital Money are Challenging the Global Economic Order by Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey
| đź“ś Number of Pages | 368 |
| ⏰ Time to Read | 7-9 hours |
Bitcoin became a buzzword overnight and with it an enthusiastic following. It pops up in headlines and fuels endless media debate. You can use it to buy almost anything from coffee to cars, yet few people seem to truly understand what it is and what you can do with it. This raises the question: Why should anyone care about Bitcoin?
In THE AGE OF CRYPTOCURRENCY, Wall Street journalists Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey deliver the definitive answer to this question. Cryptocurrency is poised to launch a revolution, one that could entirely re-invent traditional financial and social structures while bringing the world’s billions of “unbanked” individuals into a new global economy. Cryptocurrency represents the promise of a financial system without a middleman, one owned by the people who use it and one safeguarded from the devastation of a 2008-type crash.
But bitcoin, the most famous of the cybermonies, brings with it a reputation for instability, wild fluctuation, and illicit business; some fear it has the power to eliminate jobs and to upend the concept of a nation-state. It implies, above all, monumental and wide-reaching change—for better and for worse. But it is here to stay, and you ignore it at your peril.
Vigna and Casey demystify the concept of cryptocurrency, detailing its origins, its function, and what you need to know to navigate a cyber-economy. The digital currency world will look very different from the paper currency world; THE AGE OF CRYPTOCURRENCY will teach you how to be ready for it.
Mastering Bitcoin
Programming the Open Blockchain
| đź“ś Number of Pages | 485 |
| ⏰ Time to Read | 10-12 hours |
If you’re looking to go beyond the basics of blockchain and cryptocurrency, then Mastering Bitcoin by Andreas M. Antonopoulos is a great choice. This comprehensive guide covers everything from bitcoin mining to security and privacy features. Mastering Bitcoin is a must-read for anyone looking to dive deep into the world of blockchain and cryptocurrency.
The second edition includes:
- A broad introduction of bitcoin and its underlying blockchain—ideal for non-technical users, investors, and business executives
- An explanation of the technical foundations of bitcoin and cryptographic currencies for developers, engineers, and software and systems architects
- Details of the bitcoin decentralized network, peer-to-peer architecture, transaction lifecycle, and security principles
- New developments such as Segregated Witness, Payment Channels, and Lightning Network
- A deep dive into blockchain applications, including how to combine the building blocks offered by this platform into higher-level applications
- User stories, analogies, examples, and code snippets illustrating key technical concepts
Crypto-Currencies 101
How to Make Money Investing and Trading in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, Dash and More! by James Altucher
| đź“ś Number of Pages | 62 |
| ⏰ Time to Read | 1-2 hours |
This book provides a comprehensive overview of the world of cryptocurrencies. It covers everything from blockchain technology to bitcoin trading strategies. If you’re looking for a one-stop-shop for all things cryptocurrency, then this is the book for you.
The Dark Net
Inside the Digital Underworld by Jamie Bartlett
| đź“ś Number of Pages | 322 |
| ⏰ Time to Read | 6-8 hours |
An NPR Best Book of the Year
Included in The Washington Post’s Notable Nonfiction of the Year
An Independent and New Statesman Book of the Year
Beyond the familiar online world that most of us inhabit—a world of Google, Facebook, and Twitter—lies a vast and often hidden network of sites, communities, and cultures where freedom is pushed to its limits, and where people can be anyone, or do anything, they want. This is the world of Bitcoin, 4chan, and Silk Road, of radicalism, crime, and pornography. This is the Dark Net.
In this important and revealing book, Jamie Bartlett takes us deep into the digital underworld and presents an extraordinary look at the internet we don’t know. Beginning with the rise of the internet and the conflicts and battles that defined its early years, Bartlett reports on trolls, pornographers, drug dealers, hackers, political extremists, Bitcoin programmers, and vigilantes—and puts a human face on those who have many reasons to stay anonymous.
Rich with historical research and revelatory reporting, The Dark Net is an unprecedented, eye-opening look at a world that doesn’t want to be known.
If you’re looking for a different perspective on blockchain then consider The Dark Net by Jamie Bartlett. This book takes a look at the hidden side of the internet, including the black markets and dark web where cryptocurrency is often used. If you’re interested in learning about the more illicit applications of blockchain and cryptocurrency, then this is the book for you.
Bitcoin
The White Paper: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System by Satoshi Nakamoto
In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto published a revolutionary white paper that described a simple peer-to-peer electronic cash system that would later become Bitcoin. In the decade since the launch of the digital currency, the nascent blockchain technology behind Bitcoin has been heralded as having the same radical potential as the printing press or the Internet, in particular presenting extraordinary challenges to traditional banking. Yet the paper contains no reference to existing political ideas, monetary or economic knowledge. Why?
The White Paper returns to Nakamoto’s canonical text as a Rosetta Stone that can serve as the compass for a rapidly shifting terrain of contemporary techno-politics. Crypto-economist Jaya Klara Brekke provides a guide and commentary, contextualizing the paper for a wide readership and revealing the far-reaching implications of decentralization.
If you’re interested in understanding the origins of blockchain and cryptocurrency, then this is a must-read.
Conclusion on the Best Crypto Books
I hope this list has been helpful in your search for a book to learn about blockchain and cryptocurrency. There are plenty of great books out there, but I wanted to narrow the list down to some favorites that have helped me better understand how these technologies work, what they can do for our lives, and why it’s important that we all become more aware of them.
These were difficult choices because so many fantastic books exist on this topic! If you’re still looking for a good read, check out my other articles from the Cryptocurrency section or browse through Amazon’s bestsellers under “Blockchain Technology & Business Books.”
As we are both ardent readers, don’t worry, we will also be reviewing more books on cryptocurrency, NFT, Blockchains, Personal Finance and many others.
Happy reading!
