9 Books for Mastering Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies
(Disclaimer: This story contains affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase after clicking a link the author may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your support!)
Whether you are new or experienced in the world of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, it is essential to constantly train yourself. This training work involves reading books on the subject. Faced with the abundance of books about Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, it is not always easy to find your way around now. In order to help you see more clearly, I suggest you discover 9 books essential to understanding everything about the Blockchain, Bitcoin, and cryptocurrencies in general but also discover how to invest your money successfully.
“Mastering Bitcoin: Programming the Open Blockchain” by Andreas Antonopoulos
Andreas Antonopoulos is one of the most famous and recognized authors in the world of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. Thus, he has devoted a good part of his time to evangelizing the world in the Blockchain since 2013.
Once you have read his book, you will have a clear vision of what Bitcoin and Blockchain are. This is essential because before investing your money in cryptocurrencies, I think it is important to know what the Blockchain is and how it constitutes a real revolution. In this sense, having a solid foundation can only be useful in your journey toward success in the world of cryptocurrencies.
Link: “Mastering Bitcoin: Programming the Open Blockchain”
“The Internet of Money” by Andreas Antonopoulos
The second book on my list, “The Internet of Money” is still to Andreas Antonopoulos’ credit. While many books aim above all to describe what Bitcoin is and how it works precisely in a technical way, this book is more interested in a subject that has not been much discussed in the literature: the reason for Bitcoin!
Born in response to the 2008/2009 financial crisis, Bitcoin is a successful attempt to create an autonomous and decentralized digital currency free from government control. He will probably be the big winner of the next financial crash that threatens the world in 2019. In his book, Andreas Antonopoulos explains why Bitcoin is a real revolution while making exciting parallels with other technologies that have revolutionized the world in the past. All this with the inimitable style of Andreas Antonopoulos, who is able to bring all the most difficult concepts within reach. Finally, it goes beyond the speculative side of Bitcoin to detail its philosophical, social, and historical implications.
Link: “The Internet of Money”
“Digital Gold : The Untold Story of Bitcoin” by Nathaniel Popper
Andreas Antonopoulos’ two previous books will explain in detail the rationale for Bitcoin but also the underlying technical characteristics of the Bitcoin Blockchain. This third book of my selection, written by Nathaniel Popper, will tell you the fascinating story of Bitcoin during its first years of existence until 2016 to be precise.
If you are just entering the world of Bitcoin, the book “Digital Gold: The Untold Story of Bitcoin” will allow you to discover the first months and years of Bitcoin through the eyes of its first followers. Among these, you will find the testimony of the Silicon Valley Wences Casares entrepreneur who is behind Xapo today. For the record, Xapo is one of the largest Bitcoin portfolio management startups in the world. Finally, the book will give you a better understanding of how Bitcoin has been governed since its inception.
Link: “Digital Gold : The Untold Story of Bitcoin”
“The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking” by Saifedean Ammous
This book by Saifedean Ammous is considered one of the best books on Bitcoin by many early adopters of technology. It teaches the historical context of Bitcoin’s development and the economic properties that make it unique and allows it to grow rapidly. You will also learn more about the likely economic, social and political consequences of this new technology.
In the introduction to this book, the famous trader and philosopher Nassim Nicholas Taleb says the following:
“Bitcoin has no owner, no authority to decide his fate. It belongs to the crowd, to its users. And he now has a track record of several years, enough to be a full-fledged animal. Its mere existence is an insurance policy that will remind governments that the last object that the institution could control, namely money, is no longer their monopoly. This gives us, the crowd, an insurance policy against an Orwellian future.”
Again, you have here a must-read that all investors in Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies must read at least once!
Link: “The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking”
“Cryptoassets: The Innovative Investor’s Guide to Bitcoin and Beyond” by Chris Burniske and Jack Tatar
This book will be of particular interest to all investors in Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies. Written by Chris Burniske and Jack Tatar, this book will give you all the information you need on a new asset class: crypto assets. Bitcoin was the emblematic pioneer among cryptocurrencies but there are thousands of them that have now joined it.
To help you find your way around, this book will provide you with all the tools you need. This is an excellent overview of the state of the cryptocurrency market and how to invest successfully. The book dates from the end of 2017 but all the information provided is still applicable in 2019 and will therefore logically continue to be so in the future.
Link: “Cryptoassets: The Innovative Investor’s Guide to Bitcoin and Beyond”
“The Age of Cryptocurrency” by Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey
Released in 2016, this book by Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey is a true bestseller that details the history of Bitcoin by presenting the underlying technology of the Blockchain but also the potential of the cryptocurrency emblematic for the future. Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey are two journalists from the famous Wall Street Journal who have gone beyond the beaten track with their book “The Age of Cryptocurrency”.
Indeed, they present the major implications represented by Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in everyday life for citizens. In this way, everyday transactions will be changed forever in the future. Finally, the book has the advantage of presenting things without bias by describing each time the advantages and disadvantages induced by the new world that is being prepared.
Link: “The Age of Cryptocurrency”
“Mastering Ethereum: Building Smart Contracts and Dapps” by Andreas Antonopoulos and Gavin Wood
A little more than 2 years after the release of his book “Mastering Bitcoin: Programming the Open Blockchain” which had won him so many positive reviews in the world of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, Andreas Antonopoulos returns with a book dedicated to an emblematic cryptocurrency, namely Ethereum. Written with Gavin Wood, the book “Mastering Ethereum: Building Smart Contracts and Dapps” will allow you to discover how to use the Ethereum Blockchain to deploy Smart Contracts and build dApps, the famous decentralized applications.
While this book is mainly aimed at developers, integrators and system administrators, it may also be of interest to you in your desire to broaden your technical knowledge as much as possible. The aim is to understand why Ethereum continues to remain the platform for intelligent contracts and dApps number one as competition rages with very serious challengers like EOS for example.
Link: “Mastering Ethereum: Building Smart Contracts and Dapps”
“Bullish on Bitcoin: 37 Strategies to Profit in the New Crypto Economy” by Misha Yurchenko
Released at the end of 2018, Misha Yurchenko’s book “Bullish on Bitcoin: 37 Strategies to Profit in the New Crypto Economy” is to be put in the hands of all those wishing to make winning investments in the world of cryptocurrencies. Indeed, the book presents the best frameworks and tools to identify undervalued cryptocurrency projects with the potential to make 100x in the future. To do this, the author interviewed a dozen investors, traders or entrepreneurs in order to identify the best strategies to make the new cryptocurrency economy as profitable as possible.
This book to be put in the hands of all cryptocurrency investors goes further by also presenting strategies to generate passive income through certain crypto investments. One part is then dedicated to Stablecoins and another to STOs (Security Token Offerings). Finally, for those who want to go even further in the new cryptocurrency economy, the book explains how to embark on a career in the world of the Blockchain.
Link: “Bullish on Bitcoin: 37 Strategies to Profit in the New Crypto Economy”
“The Bitcoin Big Bang: How Alternative Currencies Are About to Change the World” by Brian Kelly
Although it is a little dated, since it was published in 2015, Brian Kelly’s book “The Bitcoin Big Bang: How Alternative Currencies Are About to Change the World” remains a great classic to read to better understand the fundamentals of Bitcoin and the underlying ideas behind its creation by Satoshi Nakamoto.
Brian Kelly’s book will allow you to enter the Bitcoin ecosystem as best you can by discovering its origins but also the history of payment systems over the ages. The technological parallels made in the book to show how Bitcoin is a revolution that will forever change the future of money and the global economy are also very interesting. Finally, the author proposes an investment section that details how to make the most of this revolution. This last part is the only downside of the book in my opinion since it is now somewhat dated. However, this is not the first goal when you buy this book in 2019. All you have to do is be aware of it.
Link: “The Bitcoin Big Bang: How Alternative Currencies Are About to Change the World”
Conclusion
Bitcoin and cryptocurrency books are now legions. However, it is not always easy to find your way around with such an abundance of choices. This selection of 9 books should help you to go further whether you are a beginner or experienced in the world of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies.
In addition, it offers the advantage of addressing the theoretical and philosophical part of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies while focusing on the more technical part. Finally, investors will also benefit from several books presenting concrete methods and strategies for making successful investments in cryptocurrencies.
So it’s up to you now to play!
