If you’re interested in making money with cryptocurrencies or developing software applications to run on distributed ledgers, you’ll need to have a library of informative books about the blockchain.
Look no further: we’ve compiled a group of the best books on blockchain so that you can get started.
1. Blockchain Basics: A Non-Technical Introduction in 25 Steps
Daniel Drescher’s straightforward explanation of the blockchain and cryptocurrency is an excellent entry point for newcomers. You won’t need to understand computer science, math, or code to follow along and capture the broad strokes of the blockchain.
For experts or intermediate-level people, however, this book is a bit too basic. The lack of technical discussion may leave some of your questions about implementing blockchains unanswered, and you may get bored by the book’s steady pacing. Find it on Amazon.
2. Blockchain For Dummies
Tiana Laurence’s Dummies book on the blockchain is a powerful resource that gracefully combines technical and non-technical content. If you know how to code, you won’t be bored by Laurence’s context-building sections.
Likewise, if you aren’t a technical person, you can still follow along and you might even learn a thing or two about coding for the blockchain. This book is great for people who are beginners and who want to make the jump to being at an intermediate level. Find it on Amazon.
3. Blockchain Bubble or Revolution: The Present and Future of Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies
Neel Mehta’s discursive book discusses the economic, technical, and philosophical basis of the blockchain while also helping the reader to understand how blockchain technologies might impact the world of technology and business. Find it on Amazon.
There’s a lot of material covered in this book, and all of it is suitable for non-technical people. Readers should remember one caveat when they read this book, however. Mehta is a true believer in the power of the blockchain, so many of his sections are decidedly utopian rather than grounded in practicalities. Find it on Amazon.
4. Life After Google: The Fall of Big Data and the Rise of the Blockchain Economy
George Gilder’s interpretation of the future of data is deeply nuanced, and it’s a must-read for anyone who wants to understand what the best thought leadership about the blockchain looks like.
Gilder’s book links the context of the data revolution to the prospective future of the blockchain revolution, taking time to nod to the relevant technical and economic concepts as necessary.
Overall, if you’re a leader in an industry where blockchain technology might be relevant, you should read this book. People who don’t need to plan for implementing blockchains in their organization in the future will still find the book interesting, but it will be less actionable. Find it on Amazon.
5. Blockchain Technology Explained: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide About Blockchain Wallet, Mining, Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Zcash, Monero, Ripple, Dash, IOTA And Smart Contracts
Alan Norman’s book is more focused on cryptocurrencies than blockchains per se, but either way, it’s a comprehensive and descriptive approach to the blockchain sector.
This is a great book for investors who are trying to understand how blockchains and cryptocurrencies will be relevant for their businesses or their rate of return, and none of the content is technical.
If you want more focused information, however, this book tends to gloss over some topics like smart contracts, so you may want a different resource. Find it on Amazon.
6. Mastering Bitcoin: Programming the Open Blockchain
Andreas Antonopoulos’ technical tome is perhaps the best book on the market for learning how to implement blockchains into your tech stack.
You’ll learn about adjacent issues like investing in blockchain startups and managing cryptocurrency inflation from time to time, but the majority of the book’s content is intended for technical people who need to solve thorny implementation issues.
Put differently, this isn’t a book for beginners, and intermediate-level programmers will find the material to be challenging. Find it on Amazon.
7. The Blockchain Code: Decrypt the Jungle of Complexity to Win the Crypto-Anarchy Game
In this book, Dave Kinsey provides a sociological and economic narrative that unites all of the threads of blockchain technology into one convenient package.
If you want to learn about how libertarian ideology influences blockchain technology development, there are several chapters to read. If you want to learn about how central bankers and fiat currency is endangered by the presence of blockchains and cryptocurrencies, there are several more chapters to read.
In other words, this is a great book about the political economy of the blockchain. You won’t learn much on a technical level, however. Find it on Amazon.
8. Mastering Blockchain: Distributed ledger technology, decentralization, and smart contracts explained
Imran Bashir’s book is targeted at a technical audience seeking to learn more about how to automate computational systems using the blockchain. If you wanted to learn about smart contracts like Ethereum, this is the right book for you.
Likewise, if you want to learn about how blockchains perform from an information technology security perspective, this book will answer all but your most esoteric questions. This book isn’t for beginners, and intermediate-level people may struggle with some of the security content, so plan accordingly. Find it on Amazon.
9. Blockchain: The Next Everything
If you’re looking for a high-level overview of what blockchains are, how they are impacting society, and what you can do to benefit from blockchains, Stephen Williams’ book is an excellent option.
While you won’t find any deep investigation of any particular facet of the blockchain’s impact, you’ll learn about how widespread blockchain applications could be in the future, and it’s an amazing journey. Find it on Amazon.
10. Blockchain for Everyone: How I Learned the Secrets of the New Millionaire Class (And You Can, Too)
If your primary goal as a technical or non-technical reader is to take advantage of the blockchain to earn money, look no further than John Hargrave’s how-to guide.
In his book, you’ll learn about investing in cryptocurrency, how to identify promising blockchain applications and startups, and how to provide blockchain services to customers for cash.
Technical readers will find that the book is packed with great ideas, but little advice on practical implementation, but there’s still a lot of value either way. Find it on Amazon.
Mining Blocks
We hope that you have a few ideas about how to start learning about the blockchain now that you’ve read our list of the best books on blockchain. Reading a few of these books is only dipping your toes into the water when it comes to the blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
Don’t forget that blockchain technology is still rapidly evolving, and many people suspect that the fundamental properties of blockchains are still not entirely understood.
