Interest in digital assets is constantly growing, but not all users understand the principles of blockchain technology. Negative stereotypes are preventing people from taking advantage of new financial systems and starting to mine, trade or buy cryptocurrencies. To understand the essence of the phenomenon of virtual money you just need a desire to learn and get informed on this issue, regardless of the opinions of other people and your personal prejudices. In this article we will take a look at the top ten books on digital assets and the distributed ledger system, which will help you boost your knowledge of the technology and industry.
Digital Gold
Nathaniel Popper’s book, Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money was one of the first to tell the story of Bitcoin and how blockchain and cryptocurrencies changed the world. In fact, in 2015 it was shortlisted by the Financial Times and Mckinsey for their “Financial Book of the Year” awards.
In his book Popper paid special attention to the figure of the mysterious Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto, interviewing many well-known people around during the formation of Bitcoin. It shows the history of Bitcoin through the eyes of several famous figures of this industry, who witnessed the origins of this revolutionary technology. Among them are millionaires from Asia and South Africa, as well as the Winklevoss twins, who created the Gemini exchange. The author analyzes Bitcoin in detail and explains how in the near future it will become the world standard for storing money.
Before writing this book, Popper published several articles on Bitcoin in the New York Times. This book is written in easy style and if you want to understand how Bitcoin achieved its current position, be sure to read it.
Mastering Bitcoin: Unlocking Digital Currencies
Andreas Antonopoulos is a member of the board of directors for several Bitcoin startups. He founded his own Bitcoin business in London, New York and California and has launched several open-source projects. He has extensive experience working in various companies as a technical director.
His book does not set out to teach people how to make a living off of digital currency, it only breaks down the principles of blockchain using the Bitcoin payment system and other cryptocurrencies as examples.
The first two chapters of Mastering Bitcoin: Unlocking Digital Cryptocurrencies are devoted to describing key concepts about digital currency and the basics of cryptography and are more focused on inexperienced users and business leaders seeking to understand Bitcoin better. The remaining parts contain a description of the technical details of how Bitcoin works with examples of business cases and are intended for professional developers, engineers, system administrators and other technically savvy people who want to understand the nuts and bolts of the network. The book will also be useful to Bitcoin entrepreneurs and university students studying digital currencies.
How Money Got Free
How Money Got Free, subtitled “Bitcoin and the Fight for the Future of Finance,” was written by Brian Patrick Eha, editor of Entrepreneur Magazine.
The study dives into the secrets of creating the first cryptocurrency, reveals the names of influential players in this market and highlights high-profile lawsuits and curious cases in the world of the crypto industry.
The book tells about billionaires who invested all their capital in crypto projects and enthusiasts developing virtual networks. It also refers to bankers who want to use the system of distributed registries for their own purposes and the pioneers of the cryptocurrency world who resist the efforts of financial tycoons. How Money Got Free is a must-read for those who want to become a member of the blockchain community.
The Internet of Money
This book is written by Andreas Antonopoulos, who is the most active Bitcoin evangelist in the world. Antonopoulos is an expert on Bitcoin and cybersecurity in general. This book is designed for a trained reader and requires a deep understanding of how the protocol of the Bitcoin network works.
The author decided to travel around the world in order to fully understand Bitcoin’s design, and during this trip he began to share his knowledge and ideas with people. Antonopoulos travels a lot, sharing the discoveries he has made with everyone along the way. He explains to them how this technology works and how decentralized applications can be applied in the real world.
The Internet of Money is a collection of texts, most of which are taken from his public lectures. For the most part, they emphasise the importance of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies as such. The book has many useful metaphors that relate to cryptocurrency, and predictions about how cryptocurrency will change our society. Antonopoulos believes that digital currency will give rise to a new form of political structure – metapolitics. This will be an algorithm based policy. That’s how future communities will reach a political consensus based on the individual choice of cryptocurrency.
Blockchain Revolution
The book tells about the origin of blockchain technology and how the world will change with its adoption. The authors share their vision of the development of the blockchain and predict how the new technology will be used in the future. For example, one of the upcoming changes is the democratization of society on the basis of the blockchain.
The book is written by father and son, Don and Alex Tapscott. Don is one of the most influential theorists in the United States, Alex is the CEO of a venture fund that specializes in developing blockchain projects.
Don and Alex talk about how Bitcoin and blockchain may be of interest to you. Whether you are an entrepreneur or a person who wants to track where the meat came from for your burger, this book will enlighten you.
The Truth Machine: The Blockchain and the Future of Everything
The authors of this book consider blockchain technology to be an important stage of mankind and believe that society faces a choice: whether to use the opportunities that have arisen to humanize state institutions, build open and transparent financial systems and develop democracy or allow government agencies to take control over the progressive developments of enthusiasts.
To demonstrate important events in the history of distributed registry technology, the publication contains analogies from the distant past. The authors describe the current situation and try to look into the future, allowing the reader to make their own opinions.
Paul Vigna is a journalist with 25 years experience. He works at The Wall Street Journal, where he is responsible for the entire blockchain technology sector. Paul is a well-known crypto community enthusiast. In collaboration with Michael J. Casey, he wrote another popular book: The Age of Cryptocurrency.
Michael J. Casey is an associate at MIT MediaLab, chairman of the CoinDesk Advisory Board and a journalist for Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal.
The Age of Cryptocurrency
Wall Street Journal journalists Paul Vigna and Michael Casey urge readers to prepare for a new economic reality. The era of digital currencies will inevitably come, so the authors decided to debunk all the myths surrounding Bitcoin.
This book is for those interested in cryptocurrencies and the future of the digital financial system in the 21st century.
They explain the financial system without intermediaries, anonymity and the possibilities of using cryptocurrencies in an accessible way. It’s not all through rose-tinted glasses though, as they also devote part of their book to the troubling reputation and fluctuations of Bitcoin.