Bitcoin is a digital asset and payment system, and is widely considered to be the most successful cryptocurrency ever created. As of August 2016, there was approximately $9.1 billion worth of bitcoin available and in use throughout the global cyber-economy. The following list details six of the top books about bitcoin, based on educational value and readability.
"Mastering Bitcoin" by Andreas M. Antonopoulos
Published in 2014, this is a key book to understanding the idea and concept of a decentralized currency based in the digital world. The book goes into the technology behind bitcoin, the purpose of bitcoin and the currency's application in the real world. Readers learn how the currency works, the nature of bitcoin transactions and details about the bitcoin network. There is also an interesting section on "bitcoin mining," which is the process of how you can "earn" bitcoin by engaging in some computer analysis. The book also covers some critical concepts behind bitcoin, such as the blockchain and bitcoin wallet.
"The Age of Cryptocurrency" by Paul Vigna and Michael Casey
The authors are Wall Street journalists who make the case about the future of bitcoin and cryptocurrency in general. With bitcoin, a person is able to buy practically anything, from coffee to airplanes. Thanks to bitcoin, the prospects of a global financial system without any governing intermediaries is a reality, and the authors investigate this concept. This book seeks to answer the simple question: Why should anyone care about bitcoin? In this 2105 book, Vigna and Casey aim to demystify the cryptocurrency and its uses in the current cyber-economy.
"The Book Of Satoshi" by Phil Champagne
The author aims to get people caught up on the key issues behind the creator of bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto. Champagne investigates who Nakamoto is, whether it is one person or a group, and how it was possible for Nakamoto to create bitcoin while remaining completely anonymous. The book contains actual emails and internet posts by Nakamoto, which are presented in chronological order. The text also includes a variety of technical bitcoin topics broken down into easy-to-follow layperson terms. The currency's economic potential and implications are discussed, and a copy of the original white paper by Nakamoto, which started the entire concept of bitcoin, is included.
"Blockchain" by Melanie Swan
This rather technical book, published in 2015, is about the various aspects of bitcoin, including perhaps the most important innovation to emerge from bitcoin: the blockchain. This book argues and shows that the blockchain may become a disruptive computing paradigm. The author shows how the blockchain technology and network can be used to make data mining much more efficient, and make a variety of services better and more accessible.
"The Bitcoin Big Bang" by Brian Kelly
Brian Kelly describes the overall potential of bitcoin and explains the currency from an investor's perspective in this unique bitcoin text. This 2014 book covers the various aspects of bitcoin, including its regulation in the markets, as well as how to invest and trade in alternative currencies. It goes beyond the usual introductory bitcoin information and explains how bitcoin is changing the internet and the entire finance industry.
"Digital Gold" by Nathaniel Popper
This 2015 book was shortlisted for the 2015 Financial Times and McKinsey business book of the year. Nathaniel Popper investigates the anonymous creator and beginnings of bitcoin and tells the story of the digital currency through the eyes of many of the currency's central characters, including South American and Asian millionaires, the Winkelvoss twins, and the mysterious and unknown creator of bitcoin, Satoshi Nakamoto. The author also analyzes bitcoin and makes comparisons of the digital currency to gold, stating how bitcoin may be the global standard for "store of value."
