One of the fastest-growing technologies today, cryptocurrency can be overwhelming — strange terminology, new coins and tokens popping up, and more.
One of the most reliable ways to shield yourself from volatility in the market is knowledge and due diligence.
How can you do that?
The truth is that all of the old-school principles of smart investing still apply to digital currency.
While a book might seem too antiquated for cryptocurrency, one of the quickest ways to keep up is to actually slow down and dive deep into the fundamentals that cryptocurrencies are based on.
In this article, we’ll break down the 10 best cryptocurrency books to read so that you can cut through all the noise about digital currency and grow your education — and your profit.
Blockchain Basics: A Non-Technical Introduction in 25 Steps by Daniel Drescher
Blockchain Basics is a quick and accessible introduction to the foundation that cryptocurrencies are built upon.
Instead of trading strategies and lofty claims of how to 10x your portfolio, Daniel Drescher breaks down the blockchain in plain English, with no coding skills necessary.
You donʻt need a computer science degree to get some good use for investing out of this book.
If you’re on the fence about cryptocurrency, Drescher wrote this book for you. He keeps a very balanced outlook and explains not just the benefits but the limitations as well.
You can buy this cryptocurrency book here.
The Little Bitcoin Book: Why Bitcoin Matters for Your Freedom, Finances, and Future by the Bitcoin Collective
Written by the Bitcoin Collective, a group of five blockchain engineers, the Bitcoin Collective stays on target to deliver a concise and accurate depiction of Bitcoin’s capabilities.
Regardless of where you’re starting with BTC, this book gets you up to speed on:
- Satoshi history
- blockchain
- mining
- the economics that gives BTC value
The Bitcoin Collective packs a lot into a little book and thatʻs what makes it one of the best books on cryptocurrency.
You can buy it right here.
The Internet of Money: A Collection of Talks by Andreas M. Antonopoulos
uthor Andreas M. Antonopoulos, a professor at the University of Nicosia, regularly speaks for tech conventions, podcasts, and radio shows.
The Internet of Money is directly transcribed from his lively talks on the past and future of economics, trade, and barter, and philosophy of technology — of course — all centered around cryptocurrency.
Antonopoulos keeps his book engaging and conversational, making it feel like a fun college lecture rather than a dry textbook.
You can buy this cryptocurrency book here.
Bitcoin Billionaires: A True Story of Genius, Betrayal, and Redemption by Ben Mezrich
A fun read that feels like a drama made for the big screen, Ben Mezrich recounts the history of the first Bitcoin billionaires — the Winklevoss twins who you might remember duked it out with Mark Zuckerberg over their early Facebook idea.
The Winklevoss twins might be the most infamous characters in crypto, and they are certainly the most entertaining.
As a bonus, you pick up a little BTC and internet history along the way.
If you're just on a crypto content kick and want a light read, this will be one of the best books on cryptocurrency for you.
You can buy this cryptocurrency book here.
The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking by Saifedean Ammous
While the title is a bit misleading — Ammous focuses primarily on monetary theory and history up to Bitcoin — if you’ve ever wondered what gives Bitcoin value and how its price is calculated, Ammous provides the economics behind it all.
Sound money, gold standards, trade and barter are all covered in-depth to explain why a decentralized currency could be the future of all finance, compared to a past filled with hyperinflation, economic meltdowns, and total collapse of currencies.
Because of its in-depth look at history and the philosophy of economics, The Bitcoin Standard frequently tops lists for the best books on cryptocurrency.
You can buy this cryptocurrency book here.
Blockchain Bubble or Revolution: The Future of Bitcoin, Blockchains, and Cryptocurrencies by Neel Mehta, Adi Agashe, and Parth Detroja
Let’s be honest. Cryptocurrency is a polarizing topic: people either love it or want nothing to do with it.
Bias and conflicts of interests are sprinkled throughout most of crypto literature.
Most likely, if someone is passionate enough about digital currency to write a book on it, they are bullish on crypto and pro decentralization.
Authors Mehta, Agashe, and Detroja all have a long history working in Silicon Valley with top companies like Google and Facebook. They give a former insider look in ways that the Valley might choose to adopt blockchain.
Blockchain Bubble or Revolution attempts to keep the conversation as neutral as possible. The authors are not quick to dismiss the weaknesses of crypto, which provides a better understanding if you’re trying to decide if this bubble is going to pop.
If you are looking for a bearish thesis to balance out your research, this is one of the best books on cryptocurrency for that.
You can buy this cryptocurrency book here.
Out of the Ether: The Amazing Story of Ethereum and the $55 Million Heist that Almost Destroyed It All by Matthew Leising
Ethereumʻs development team is world-famous. Their teamwork and decision-making skills were on display when $55 million was stolen by an exploit in their code. In this cryptocurrency book, Leising breaks down how ETH works and how the hack changed everything.
If you want to know more about Ethereum, the people running it, and why thereʻs an Ethereum Classic, Out of the Ether will be one of the best books on cryptocurrency.
You can buy this cryptocurrency book here.
An Altcoin Trader’s Handbook by Nik Patel
“Those who fail to learn from history...”
Nik Patel offers a look back at the wildest bull run in cryptoʻs short history. Patel goes through some of the patterns and charts that alt coins (anything thatʻs not BTC) took before skyrocketing in 2017.
Some of the points might be slightly off in todayʻs market, but the historic altcoin strategies are still relevant for cryptocurrency inventors.
A fair warning: crypto is already volatile enough, and some of Patelʻs strategies seem like playing with the penny stocks of digital currency. Nonetheless, knowing how small-cap crypto affects the top 100 can be valuable information and easily make it to your list of best books on cryptocurrency.
You can buy this cryptocurrency book here.
Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money by Nathaniel Popper
A reporter for the New York Times, Nathaniel Popper’s journalism skills are on full display when he recounts the early history of Bitcoin. Popper gets into the details of who got rich quick and who serves to make the most from pumping up Bitcoin.
Digital Gold wonʻt weigh you down with any technical stuff on blockchain.
Instead, the shadier side of Bitcoin is shown, including the people who wanted to shut it down.
If you want to know who the big players in crypto are and the dark side of big banking, then Digital Gold might be the best book on cryptocurrency for you.
You can buy this cryptocurrency book here.
The Everything Guide to Investing in Cryptocurrency: From Bitcoin to Ripple, the Safe and Secure Way to Buy, Trade, and Mine Digital Currencies by Ryan Derousseau
If you’re looking to go from A-Z on cryptocurrency, this is the best book. It explains:
- crypto basics
- How BTC is different from XRP
- how mining works
- how to set up a wallet
- and more
Derousseau explains everything you need to know right up to the point of hitting that buy button on an exchange.
Derousseau isnʻt here to sell you on crypto. In fact, he goes into the depths of why you shouldnʻt be anywhere near a cryptocurrency.
If you decide crypto is right for you, he has some tips to help you through investing in such a volatile market and ways to lock in your gains.
You can get this cryptocurrency book here.
New cryptocurrencies are going to come and go.
Whatʻs here to stay are the fundamentals of investing, economics, and blockchain technology.
To learn these fundamentals, read the books mentioned in this article. Doing so will help you make wise (and profitable) investing choices now and into the future.
