Best blockchain books worth reading
Check out this list of essential and exciting blockchain books to fully understand this emerging technology. Read more in our review article.
Blockchain books you should consider reading
- “Blockchain: Blueprint for a New Economy” by Melanie Swan.
- “Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin is Changing Money, Business, and the World” by Don Tapscott and Alex Tapscott.
- “The Business Blockchain: Promise, Practice, and Application of the Next Internet Technology” by William Mougayar.
- “Blockchain and the Law: The Rule of Code” by Primavera De Filippi and Aaron Wright.
- “The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money Are Challenging the Global Economic Order” by Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey.
- “Blockchain for Dummies” by Tiana Laurence.
- “The Book of Satoshi” by Phil Champagne.
- “The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking” by Saifedean Ammous.
- “Blockchain Enabled Applications: Understand the Blockchain Ecosystem and How to Make it Work for You” by Vikram Dhillon, David Metcalf, and Max Hoope.
- “Introducing Ethereum and Solidity: Foundations of Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Programming for Beginners” by Chris Dannen.
- “Mastering Bitcoin: Programming the Open Blockchain” by Andreas Antonopoulos.
- “Cryptocurrency Trading & Investing: Beginners Guide To Trading & Investing In Bitcoin, Alt Coins & ICOs” by Aimee Vo.
- “An Altcoin Trader’s Handbook” by Nik Patel.
Best blockchain books for beginners
Blockchain: Blueprint for a New Economy
Written by Melanie Swan, this book offers a view of what the future could look like with blockchain technology. It is an easily digestible book that helps the reader understand the myriad ways the innovation backing Bitcoin could be applied and how that may affect industries in particular and society in general.
The book takes a robust pro-blockchain stance, with Swan contending that blockchain technology can become the fifth disruptive paradigm in the computing world after mainframes, PCs, the Internet, and mobile/social networking.
Some parts of the book may seem overly optimistic. However, it does an excellent job of explaining why blockchain technology is held in such high regard.
Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin is Changing Money, Business, and the World
Father and son duo of Don and Alex Tapscott co-authored this book. Don is the best-selling author of Wikinomics, while Alex possesses extensive knowledge of distributed ledgers. Originally published in 2016, the book is regarded as one of the first foundational books on blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.
Blockchain Revolution provides basic foundational knowledge to its reader. The book makes references to history in its attempt to explain how this innovation is set to be a disruptive force.
If you are looking for a book that offers a comprehensive view of the blockchain and digital currency ecosystem in a manner that is not complex, then this is a good place to start. Additionally, the book has been updated to include recent developments in the sector, such as initial coin offerings (ICOs) and smart contracts.
The Business Blockchain: Promise, Practice, and Application of the Next Internet Technology
Written by William Mougayar, “The Business Blockchain” paints a descriptive picture of blockchain and takes a deep dive into the features of the technology.
The book is perhaps best suited for business owners, entrepreneurs, and others who are interested in finding out if blockchain is suited for their business or not. It also provides some technical details to better foster an understanding of the technology. Mouyagar uses simple turns of phrase and analogies to describe these aspects, and as a result, the reader can grasp these concepts without any prior knowledge.
Mouyagar possesses over 30 years of experience in business and entrepreneurship. He is also an active member of the cryptocurrency community, serving as a board member of organizations like the Ethereum Foundation. He draws on this experience to provide insights on how to effectively combine blockchain technology and existing businesses.
Additionally, the foreword of the book is written by Ethereum co-creator Vitalik Buterin.
Blockchain and the Law: The Rule of Code
If you are looking to understand the intricacies of the relationship between the law and blockchain technology, this book should be on your list. While it is true that the blockchain and cryptocurrencies have created a valuable industry, they still exist in a somewhat gray area.
As governments are starting to regulate the sector, there is a significant amount of uncertainty amongst those within the industry because of the fear of repressive laws.
The authors, Primavera De Filippi and Aaron Wright, outline why the relationship between the law and the sector is strained. The book makes it clear that regulators must redefine their approach, as restrictive regulations will stifle the growth of the industry. Additionally, De Filippi and Wright provide tips that regulators can utilize moving forward.
The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money Are Challenging the Global Economic Order
Authored by two Wall Street Journal reporters, Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey, “The Age of Cryptocurrency” focuses on the value systems created and supported by the blockchain. The book is centered on the idea that decentralized currencies are able to shift power away from the traditional holders of power and influence, such as centralized financial systems and governments.
The book is thorough concerning the history of digital currencies, especially Bitcoin. Additionally, it helps readers understand the potential that cryptocurrencies hold for those who are unable to access the traditional financial system with a way to store their money.
It is important to remember that the book was written in 2015 and may not be as up-to-date as others list. However, it is still an excellent foundational book for novices. as it is written in an easy-to-understand manner.
Blockchain for Dummies
Written by Tiana Laurence, “Blockchain for Dummies” takes the idea of blockchain technology from a well-thought-out theory to an actual workable possibility. While the book has sufficient background information about blockchain technology and digital currencies, it focuses on providing examples of how the innovations are being applied in the context of business.
The book provides the reader with practical information about how to implement blockchain technology and even includes a tutorial in which Laurence creates a simple but functional blockchain-based application.
Tiana Laurence is the founder of Factom, a company that focuses on helping businesses find and utilize blockchain-based solutions. Business owners can benefit from using this book.
The Book of Satoshi
In “The Book of Satoshi”, Phil Champagne looks at the history of Bitcoin from an interesting angle. He compiles the entirety of Satoshi Nakamoto’s posts and publications on message boards and other mediums on the internet.
Satoshi Nakamoto is the pseudo-anonymous creator of Bitcoin and the inventor of the blockchain. He disappeared from the public eye shortly after publishing the Bitcoin whitepaper. Fortunately, The Book of Satoshi offers an interesting look into the mind of the clandestine creator.
It shows the amount of thought and attention to detail that Nakamoto applied to create the pioneer cryptocurrency. Additionally, the book also helps understand the principles and values that Nakamoto believed were important and how they affected his creative process.
Lastly, the book helps the reader understand the history of the politics around Bitcoin, as Champagne also includes other relevant happenings in the publication. The original whitepaper is also included.
The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking
“The Bitcoin Standard” is written by Saifedean Ammous and focuses on the history of money and culminates at the conclusion that Bitcoin and decentralized currencies are the best forms of money created to date.
Ammous begins by defining the concept of money and the features that constitute a good store of value. He uses examples from history to make his points. The book provides knowledge on significant happenings, such as world wars, and how they have affected the global economic system.
Additionally, the book helps the reader understand different economic schools of thought but with a focus on the Austrian school. Ammous also explains the history of Bitcoin’s creation and why it is the best example of sound money. As implied, the premise of the book is to compare Bitcoin to the now-defunct gold standard.
If you are looking to understand the history of money and understand how Bitcoin fits into the economic system, “The Bitcoin Standard” is the read for you.
Technical blockchain books
Blockchain Enabled Applications: Understand the Blockchain Ecosystem and How to Make it Work for You
Vikram Dhillon, David Metcalf, and Max Hooper provide a broad explanation of the technical underpinnings of blockchain technology. The book covers some reasonably complex topics, including how to work with Fabric and Sawtooth, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning.
Additionally, the book provides tips on how to create a conducive development environment as well as how to develop workable startup ideas.
If you are looking for a broad overview of the technical features of blockchain technology, this may help. However, it is best suited for those with some prior programming language.
Introducing Ethereum and Solidity: Foundations of Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Programming for Beginners
Ethereum is second only to Bitcoin with regard to market capitalization. Ethereum is unique because of the smart contract functionality it introduced to the blockchain. To power the smart contracts, its co-creator Vitalik Buterin, constructed a Turing-complete coding language called Solidity.
In “Introducing Ethereum and Solidity,” Chris Dannen helps readers understand the technical aspects of Ethereum and its coding language. Additionally, the book includes information that helps the reader grasp the difference between decentralized apps (DApps) and traditional web apps.
Upon completion of this book, the reader should be able to write Ethereum smart contracts in Solidity as well as connect these smart contracts to HTML, CSS, or JavaScript web applications. The steps to deploy your own DApp, coin, and blockchain are also covered in the book.
Through the sample projects included, the publication also helps the reader understand how to work with basic and intermediate smart contracts. This book is best suited for those who possess prior knowledge of computer science, especially programming.
Mastering Bitcoin: Programming the Open Blockchain
“Mastering Bitcoin” is a must-read for those who are aspiring to become blockchain developers. The book is written by Andreas Antonopoulos, a respected thought leader within the cryptocurrency community.
The book is highly detailed and is considered one of the best publications about the technical aspects of the blockchain. Readers will likely require some programming knowledge, however, to grasp the more technical topics covered in the book.
The topics covered include descriptions of the technical foundations of Bitcoin and other cryptographic-based currencies. This portion is best suited for developers, engineers, software and systems architects, and others who possess the relevant coding knowledge.
Additionally, the reader will find out the details of decentralized networks, such as peer-to-peer (P2P) architecture, transaction lifecycles, and the security principles that govern these networks.
“Mastering Bitcoin” also includes information on Bitcoin forks. Antonopoulos adds user stories and easy-to-understand analogies in the publication. He also provides examples and code snippets when illustrating key technical concepts.
Blockchain investment books
Cryptocurrency Trading & Investing: Beginners Guide To Trading & Investing In Bitcoin, Alt Coins & ICOs
Written by Aimee Vo, “Cryptocurrency Trading & Investing” provides readers with a comprehensive guide on the often complicated world of trading digital currencies.
The book helps readers to understand basics, such as how to create an account on a cryptocurrency exchange, and then grows to more complex issues. Vo covers a wide array of topics like short selling, ICOs, and trading tips. Vo has experience in the traditional financial system, having worked at UBS Investment Bank in equities trading and portfolio management. As a result, the book brings the conventional wisdom applied in trading in the traditional financial system to the digital currency sector. It is written in a simple and easily digestible manner.
An Altcoin Trader’s Handbook
Nik Patel provides readers with detailed tips and advice on how to turn a profit in the rough waters of the digital currency market in his book. This book stands out from other publications focused on trading as it focuses solely on how to speculate on the altcoin market.
Patel provides users with a three-stage system that he uses to balance risk and reward when speculating. He goes into detail about how this approach works and why it is – in his view – the best method when it comes to trading digital assets.
Patel covers the topics in a relatively simple manner. As a result, traders of every level can use this guide to better their approach.
Conclusion
Blockchain technology is a rapidly evolving and complex landscape with immense potential to disrupt multiple industries and revolutionize the way we interact with data and transactions. As we have explored in this article, many books provide valuable insights into blockchain’s history, technology, and applications.
These books, with their carefully curated content and expert perspectives, may be indispensable resources for anyone seeking to navigate the intricate world of blockchain. Whether you are interested in the technical aspects of blockchain, its potential use cases, or the regulatory and societal implications, there is a book for you.
