The 10 Best Cryptocurrency Books
This wiki has been updated 22 times since it was first published in February of 2018. As Bitcoin's astronomical 2017 climb captivated speculators and the media, the number of voices who did little more than repeat tired platitudes about the potential of crypto grew ever larger. For the savvy investor and the technological enthusiast alike, sober, clear perspectives on these topics became few and far between. Those tired of the babble will find respite in this list. When users buy our independently chosen editorial recommendations, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Mastering Bitcoin
2. Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies
3. Digital Gold
Editor's Notes
May 13, 2020:
The amount of people interested in cryptocurrency grows daily. This may be equally due to its disruptive tech as it is to the unrivaled price increase of Bitcoin, the most widely known digital asset. If you are an experienced or beginner programmer who wants to learn more about coding tokens and digital coins, you should definitely spend some time reading Mastering Bitcoin and Programming Bitcoin: Learn How to Program Bitcoin from Scratch. The former is a better starting point, while the latter is a good continuation of the skills you learn in the former, so we recommend picking up both of them if you are serious about getting into the industry.
If you are here for the tech, as is often claimed by Twitter personas, then it is important to have a thorough understanding of what it is, why we need it, how it works, and its potential and limitations. Books like Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies, The Internet of Money, Blockchain Basics: A Non-Technical Introduction in 25 Steps, and The Book Of Satoshi cover that material and more. They are all suitable for those with no previous knowledge of the technology or the space in general, so they won't feel too intimidating to newbies. It is worth noting that The Internet of Money and The Book Of Satoshi are both compendiums of publicly available material, but put together in an easily digestible format, so we feel they are worth the relatively small price to have the information organized and presented in a logical manner, rather than having to waste countless hours seeking it out online. We also feel the need to mention that Blockchain Basics: A Non-Technical Introduction in 25 Steps actually has very little emphasis on cryptocurrencies themselves, but rather an almost exclusive focus on the underlying technology. Since anyone truly interested in understanding how and why cryptocurrencies work needs to understand blockchain as well, we though it worth including.
If your interest in cryptocurrency is a purely financial, then Cryptoassets: The Innovative Investor's Guide is probably the best choice. Unlike the others on our list, this one has more of a focus on trading digital assets, with very minimal time spent explaining the tech side of things. Not only does much of the information carry over into stocks and other equities, but it is also written in a manner that should appeal to people coming from traditional markets.
Since we are quite confident that after reading any of these, you will probably buy some cryptocurrencies, if you don't already own them, and you will no doubt also learn the importance of the saying "not your keys, not your crypto", we recommend you also check out our list of the best Bitcoin wallets, many of which store other digital coins and tokens too, so you keep your investment safe and secure.
Special Honors
The Bitcoin Whitepaper Though not technically a book, no compilation of the best reading material about cryptocurrencies would be complete without including the original Bitcoin Whitepaper. Written by the anonymous creator of the preeminent digital asset, it gives a basic breakdown of how the technology works, why we need a payment system based on cryptographic proof instead of trust, what makes the network secure, and more. bitcoin.org
4. Programming Bitcoin: Learn How to Program Bitcoin from Scratch
5. The Internet of Money
6. Blockchain Basics: A Non-Technical Introduction in 25 Steps
7. Cryptoassets: The Innovative Investor's Guide
8. The Book Of Satoshi
9. The Bitcoin Standard
10. Ethereum: Blockchains
A wandering writer who spends as much time on the road as in front of a laptop screen, Brett can either be found hacking away furiously at the keyboard or, perhaps, enjoying a whiskey and coke on some exotic beach, sometimes both simultaneously, usually with a four-legged companion by his side. He has been a professional chef, a dog trainer, and a travel correspondent for a well-known Southeast Asian guidebook. He also holds a business degree and has spent more time than he cares to admit in boring office jobs. He has an odd obsession for playing with the latest gadgets and working on motorcycles and old Jeeps. His expertise, honed over years of experience, is in the areas of computers, electronics, travel gear, pet products, and kitchen, office and automotive equipment.