Top 20 Cryptocurrency Books to Read in 2024
Cryptocurrencies are enjoying an explosion of interest in the public eye and ever more influence on the financial markets. This also holds true for the blockchain technologies that underpin cryptocurrencies. Despite the recent liquidity and reputational setbacks suffered by the sector, it still has investors ready to try their hand at making money from cryptocurrencies.
To this end, useful information on how to navigate the market is at a premium. Newbies and experienced traders alike are eager to read a few fascinating books on the topic. Fortunately, the industry is mature enough that by now there is a good number of authoritative and informative texts aimed at levels of financial comprehension. This includes technical books explaining the origins of blockchain, as well as simple how-to guides on investing in crypto.
Whether you are looking for a detailed technical read or an entertaining explanation of how to dip your toe in the market, there is a book out there for you. At Arincen, we have picked a selection of books that can serve readers of all levels. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but, in no particular order, we encourage you to read:
1. The Book of Satoshi by Phil Champagne (E53 Publishing LLC, 2014)
Where else to start but with a book based on the thoughts of the enigmatic creator of Bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto? Indeed, blockchain and Bitcoin co-exist because blockchain made cryptocurrencies possible. The Book of Satoshi is an in-depth collection of Nakamoto's most important writings, including the original paper explaining the idea of Bitcoin.
2. The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains by Antony Lewis (Mango Media Incorporated, 2018)
The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains illuminates blockchain technology in a simple way to understand. The book carefully details what a blockchain is, how it works, and why the technology has such an important role to play in diversifying the financial ecosystem in which we all take part. It lists the main blockchain platforms, smart contracts, and some essentials to remember before buying cryptocurrencies. The book also features a helpful section on crypto investment risks, spotting scams, cryptocurrency exchanges, and digital wallets.
3. Crypto assets by Chris Burniske and Jack Tatar (McGraw Hill Professional, 2017)
The authors assess blockchain from a financial perspective, but they also discuss important technological ideas. This guide is aimed at investors, and less so developers and those interested in the intricate details of how a cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin, works.
This allows the explanations to be relevant to the topic and easy to comprehend. The book also ventures beyond most of the rest of the literature by attempting to define crypto assets as an asset class.
4. The Truth About Crypto: A Practical, Easy-to-Understand Guide to Bitcoin, Blockchain, NFTs, and Other Digital Assets by Ric Edelman (Simon & Schuster, 2022)
For many newcomers, finding their way into the crypto sphere can be confusing and daunting. This book, penned by a #1 New York Times bestselling author, offers a straightforward guide intended to demystify the process. Written in a conversational style, the author takes the reader on a journey starting with his earliest encounter with Bitcoin, when he first heard the words “bitcoin” and “cryptocurrency.”
The accessible and informative guide covers cold-wallet hardware devices, digital asset banks, major base layer protocols, major blockchain applications of financial products and services, publicly traded Bitcoin mining companies, digital assets exchanges and much more. It even provides much-needed tax planning and tax advisory services for digital assets, something many traders new and old often ignore.
5. The Genius of Algorand: Technical Elegance and the Defi Revolution by Anthony Scaramucci (SALT Books, 2022)
Altcoins are not much covered in the most popular books on cryptocurrencies. The author of this book is a founding member of a crypto trading firm, so is well-placed to dole out information on this area. Although it is a small book, it covers as much ground as it can on the obscure altcoin Algorand, giving ardent fans the information they need while doing a good job of evangelizing for new fans of the Algorand blockchain.
6. Mastering Bitcoin: Programming the Open Blockchain, 2nd Edition by Andreas M. Antonopoulos (O-Reilly, 2017)
Written by one of the world’s top Bitcoin and open blockchain experts, this helpful book gives a detailed description of Bitcoin that is directed at newbie users, businesspeople, and investors. One particularly helpful section describes the inner workings of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies for engineers, developers, systems and software architects. The author delves into the Bitcoin decentralized network, peer-to-peer architecture, the transaction lifecycle and security principles in accessible language.
7. Blockchain Basics: A Non-Technical Introduction in 25 Steps by Daniel Drescher (Apress, 2017)
Seasoned banker Daniel Drescher adopts a simple method to clearly lay out the fundamentals of blockchain technology in 25 steps. He does this without the use of coding language, mathematical formulas or deep jargon.
The author describes the importance of key emerging terms, like machine learning, big data and automation in electronic security trading, in the simplest terms possible. This valuable crypto resource details the expected impact of blockchain terminology on the financial system by explaining why blockchain is required and how it can solve today’s challenges.
8. Crypto-Finance, Law and Regulation. Governing an Emerging Ecosystem by Joseph Lee (Routledge, 2022)
This detailed book covers the last hurdle to crypto’s widespread adoption: regulation. Readers are warned, it is a dense and academic tome written by a distinguished professor of law. Key topics that are covered include possible answers to questions about whether crypto-finance will cause a paradigm shift in regulation around the world. It is mainly aimed at students, scholars and practitioners interested in regulation, finance and the law. Diligent traders could also make use of this book if they intend to understand the crypto world at a much deeper level than other traders.
9. Bitcoin Billionaires by Ben Mezrich (Little, Brown, 2019)
This book recounts the true story of the Winklevoss twins, who came to play a major role in crypto history after their Facebook stock settlement with Mark Zuckerberg. The details are not always positive. The Winkelvosses unsuccessfully attempted to become venture capitalists before coming to know of a new concept called cryptocurrency. The story takes a more positive turn when it is revealed how the brothers eventually became the first Bitcoin billionaires. For anyone looking for a light-hearted rollercoaster read on the power of crypto investing, this is the book for you.
10. The Truth Machine: The Blockchain and the Future of Everything by Michael J. Casey and Paul Vigna (Picador, 2019)
The writers of this book describe the potential of blockchain to restore personal control over individuals’ data, assets and identities. Citing the growing power of banks and big technology firms as an enemy of privacy, the authors contend that a new kind of operating system (blockchain) has the power to revolutionize many sections of the economy without compromising personal privacy and security.
11. Proof of Stake: The Making of Ethereum and the Philosophy of Blockchains by Vitalik Buterin (Penguin, 2022)
This book provides a fascinating peek into the vision behind Ethereum, one of the world’s largest blockchains. The book is split into three core parts made up of 23 essays penned between 2014 and 2022. It takes readers through the fascinating stage of the blockchain’s development: pre-mining, proof of work, and proof of stake. The latter stage ends with this year’s much-publicized Merge. The book is a love letter to the power and potential of blockchain.
12. Virtual Society: The Metaverse and the New Frontiers of Human Experience by Herman Narula (Penguin, 2022)
This arresting book might seem like science fiction to some, but it succeeds in putting forward a sometimes terrifying, albeit-always convincing science-based vision of our future collective reality. The author talks about the implications of the metaverse and explains how today’s metaverse is simply the most recent instance of a centuries-old human tendency to create alternative worlds.
The book takes a backward look at religious beliefs and how they affected the collective consciousness, all the way to today’s video game-obsessed culture that is giving birth to virtual communities. The book rounds off by linking these established behaviours to a natural progression that includes a technology-driven future landscape. It is a highly intelligent and meditative book for those who want to take a more philosophical look at the world around us.
13. Crypto Art – Begins by NFT Magazine (Rizzoli, 2022)
This game-changing volume will be released as a traditional print book that features a collection of digital art. It will be available in bookstores and museum shops and an NFT for circulation in the metaverse. The book is intended to tell of the exciting beginning and evolution of crypto art through the history and works of 50 of the best artists in the world, who, through their NFTs, have contributed to the birth and are still an active part of the present and future of this revolution.
14. The Book of Crypto: The Complete Guide to Understanding Bitcoin, Cryptocurrencies and Digital Assets by Henri Arslanian (Palgrave Macmillan, 2022)
This detailed and expansive book covers the history of Bitcoin, crypto digital assets, such as stable coins, CBDCs, utility tokens, security tokens and NFTs, as well as commentary on Defi, crypto mining, crypto regulations, crypto investors, crypto exchanges, Web 3.0, the Metaverse, DAOs and even quantum computing. Written by an author whose previous work became a global top 10 best-seller in financial services on Amazon, the reader can feel secure that they are getting the latest and most authoritative information on these key technologies.
15. The Blockchain Future: Bitcoin, Cryptocurrency, Blockchain Technology, De-Centralised Ledgers, Smart Contracts, Crypto Wallets, NFTS and Web 3.0. What ... do in the real world now and in the future! by Robert B. Seymour (Independent, 2022)
This book is a breath of fresh air. Despite its lengthy title, it provides a highly entertaining and readable explanation of all things crypto. The text concentrates on blockchain technology and its current and future uses, from smart contracts to the latest Web3 developments, in a way that even the greenest newbies can understand.
The author is clearly passionate about the topics about which he writes, and speaks with an evangelical fervor on aspects, such as the oncoming utility of crypto and blockchain, as these technologies gain more traction in the worlds of gaming, trading, social media, banking, music and art.
16. Metaverse Investing Beginners to Advance Invest in the Metaverse; Cryptocurrency, NFT (non-fungible tokens) Crypto Art, Bitcoin, Virtual Land, ... 2022 & Beyond by The Meta-Verse (Metaverse Investing Books, 2022)
This book covers the interesting and eye-opening world of the metaverse, featuring coverage of blockchain, the metaverse, Web 3.0, metaverse tech and health – complete with informed speculation about possible future changes. The author explains the metaverse as “characterized as a multi-user real-time virtual realm in which individuals from all over the globe can connect via a network, co-exist, socialize, and trade value with one another.” The book does justice by explaining the important role that blockchain will have to play in the metaverse.
17. Secret Lives by Mark de Castrique (Poisoned Pen Press, 2022)
Readers will find this book a departure from the other types of resources on this list. Rather than an informational resource, this text is a 300-page fictional thriller that delves into the dark world of crypto high crimes and intrigue. If you are interested in reading fiction, this novel will satisfy you with its intricate plot involving shady, but highly connected characters, with links to government and the underworld alike. It certainly makes for a riveting read as the writer is a gifted and experienced storyteller who has penned successful political thrillers.
18. Blockchain Revolution by Don and Alex Tapscott (Penguin, 2018)
Written by a father and son team, the book concentrates on the impact of cryptocurrencies on the world in ways many might not have considered. The authors contend that blockchain technology will expand and transform what we can do online, the way we do it, and who can participate. Those with a vested interest in the success of the crypto world will be happy to read about how blockchain technology will immensely improve the delivery of financial services and the safeguarding of personal identity information. The book also explains in detail how blockchain has benefits for business contracts and the development of the Internet of Things (IoT). These are not new ideas or concepts, but the writers express them in a simple and convincing manner that makes the pages fly past. The father and son team accepts that blockchain technology still needs to be matured, and they perform an admirable job of compartmentalizing what technology can deliver today versus its immense potential for the future.
19. The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains by Antony Lewis (Mango Publishing, 2018)
The author of this book was the founder of one of the earliest cryptocurrency exchanges, called ItBit. As an expert in the cryptocurrency and blockchain worlds, Lewis convincingly and authoritatively details the technical parts of blockchain technology in a way that can be understood by newbies and intermediate crypto players alike. The book covers the fundamentals of cryptocurrencies and is a highly useful aid to those interested in blockchain and its myriad applications.
20. The Blockchain Developer by Elad Elrom (Apress, 2019)
Readers should be aware that this is a highly technical overview of blockchain technology written exclusively for developers. The book is dense with technical exposition and discusses concepts in a granular, detailed presentation. For developers reading this book, you can expect to uncover the process of creating your own blockchain, building Apps and more. The book contains specialized sections related to well-known and pre-existing blockchains for those wanting to create apps for established networks, as well as a section of the text about how blockchains can be used in areas not related to cryptocurrency.
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Conclusion
Whether you are a first-time trader interested in learning about the cryptocurrency world, or an established investor with a thirst for new learning, you can find a book or two on this list to keep you enraptured. Our list of 20 crypto and blockchain books includes different genres – readers can find predominantly non-fiction texts (as to be expected with such a technical subject), but they can also find fictional stories if they need a change of pace. The list also features books of different technical depth, meaning that newbies with less appreciation for technical details can find a resource just as a developer interested in learning new applications can also find a resource. This list is not exhaustive, but showcases just a few books in the growing library of work devoted to cryptocurrencies and blockchains.
Written by
Marwan Kardoosh
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