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When I first stumbled down the Bitcoin rabbit hole, I devoured everything I could find. Each book that I finished raised fresh questions, forcing me to decide which title on my list would shed light on a given topic or idea.
Perhaps you’re in a similar position. Or maybe you’re completely new to Bitcoin and just want a clear introduction. Either way, this list should give you a strong starting point. I’ve grouped recommendations by theme - from introductions, to history, to short reads.
As always, no affiliate links here. If you want to support the authors, just buy their books.
- Foundations of Bitcoin: best all-round primer
- The ‘why’ of Bitcoin: best economic introduction
- How it began: best books on Bitcoin history
- Bitcoin for good: best books on changing society
- Bitesize Bitcoin: best books for short sessions
1. Foundations of Bitcoin: best all-round primer
For most of my years as a Bitcoin holder, my understanding of Bitcoin was shallow. “Fixed supply of 21 million, mined by supercomputers, transactions organised on a blockchain”. That was about it - in hindsight I’m a little embarrassed at how long it took me to bother digging any deeper.
If you want to learn how Bitcoin actually works without diving into code, start with Inventing Bitcoin by Yan Pritzker of Swan (inventingbitcoin.com / Amazon).
Pritzker’s book is the best high-level introduction I’ve yet found. What makes it great is its first-principles approach. It assumes no prior knowledge and walks you through the computer science, cryptography, economics, and game theory that underpin Bitcoin. By the end, you’ll understand transactions, proof-of-work, mining, forks, and more. It’s short (under 100 pages) and packed with diagrams.
2. The ‘why’ of Bitcoin: best economic introduction
Many people begin with what Bitcoin is. But the better question is why. What problems does it solve?
The clearest answer comes from Lyn Alden’s fantastic 2023 book Broken Money (www.lynalden.com / Amazon).
The book makes you rethink things you’ve probably taken for granted. It might sound counterintuitive, but one of the best ways to deepen one’s understanding of Bitcoin is to learn about the traditional financial system. With this book, you’ll learn:
- how money is created and destroyed (and why the euphemism “quantitative easing” isn’t as harmless as it sounds)
- how modern banks actually operate (hello, fractional reserve lending)
- why deficits and debt cycles matter (“nothing stops this train”, as Alden likes to say)
- and the long arc of monetary innovation, from Rai stones to gold to fiat
Only the final chapters of the book touch on Bitcoin, making it accessible for readers with no prior knowledge of cryptocurrency.
3. How it began: best books on Bitcoin history
I love history, and Bitcoin’s origin story is as compelling as any.
You probably already know that Satoshi Nakamoto - the pseudonymous inventor(s) of Bitcoin - disappeared several years after introducing his or her creation to the world. But you might not know about Bitcoin’s precursors: Wei Dai’s b-money, Chaum’s eCash, Szabo’s Bit Gold, Back’s Hashcash, and the cypherpunk movement. Satoshi combined elements of these into something entirely new.
That story is brilliantly told in The Genesis Book by Aaron van Wirdum (thegenesisbook.com / Amazon).
This book’s actually my favourite of those on this list. It’s a real page turner, and ends with the release of Satoshi’s whitepaper in 2008.
I love history, so I’m going to feature two books in this category. While van Wirdum’s book covers Bitcoin’s origin story, this next one chronicles its civil war.
The Blocksize War by Jonathan Bier (farside.co.uk / Amazon) covers the events of 2015 to 2017, a time when the entire Bitcoin community was embroiled in a technical conflict which exposed fundamental questions over protocol control. The book includes discussions with key players on both sides, and explores the battles over Segwit, the Bitcoin Cash hard fork, and emergence of fraudster Craig Wright (aka Faketoshi).
What I liked most about the book is how it sheds light on the debates facing Bitcoin today. If you want to understand the wider context around layer 2 networks like Lightning, blockchain spam, and custodial solutions aiming for mass-market adoption, you should absolutely check out Bier’s book.
4. Bitcoin for good: best books on changing society
In theory, Bitcoin is apolitical. In practice, it’s not. Early adopters skewed libertarian, and their influence still dominates.
Studying Bitcoin has definitely shifted my political outlook, most notably towards governmental mismanagement of the economy. I regularly listen to interviews with people who sit on the opposite end of the political spectrum to me, and do so more frequently than before I became interested in Bitcoin.
Equally, though, it’s been exciting to discover the dedicated community of progressive activists who are championing Bitcoin’s potential to help social causes. Among them is C. Jason Maier, author of A Progressive’s Case for Bitcoin (bitcoinprogressive.com / Amazon). He explores how Bitcoin can support unbanked and oppressed groups, utilise stranded energy and electrify remote communities, and fight back against too-big-to-fail banks. Maier’s book is particularly strong on environmental topics, and he masterfully deconstructs the idea that mining is ruinous for the environment.
If you enjoyed this, I’d also highly recommend Check Your Financial Privilege by Alex Gladstein, author and CSO at the Human Rights Foundation (alexgladstein.com / Amazon). His book highlights how Bitcoin is proving itself a tool of empowerment for the 4 billion people worldwide who live under authoritarian rule, and the 1.6 billion enduring double or triple digit annual inflation. It’s an eye opening read.
5. Bitesize Bitcoin: best books for short sessions
Sometimes you just want something quick and digestible. I like listening to audiobooks or podcasts while commuting or doing chores. Both of the following recommendations are available as audiobooks and are divided into very short thematic chapters.
21 Lessons by the pseudonymous Gigi (21lessons.com / Amazon) is my top pick here. It’s actually available for free on the author’s website, but I would highly encourage you to buy it or donate to the author. It perfectly captures the disorienting yet exhilarating shift of having Bitcoin rewire your mental furniture.
As Gigi puts it:
“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, stepping into Bitcoin. You read the whitepaper, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.”
The other must-read is The Internet of Money by Andreas M. Antonopoulos (aantonop.com / Amazon). Few have done as much to promote Bitcoin adoption and education as Andreas, and anyone who’s dabbled in the subject - however briefly - will likely have encountered his work. His talks on Bitcoin are among the most thought-provoking I’ve seen; just watch him here discussing Bitcoin with an MIT student club back in 2014.
This book is a collection of his most powerful talks, edited for clarity and presented thematically. Each “chapter” runs for 15-20 minutes, making it perfect for a commute or short walk. If you enjoy it, there are two sequels available.
Wrap-up: going beyond “number go up”
Whether you’re here because you’ve just bought your first satoshis, or because you’re already deep into this strange and wonderful rabbit hole, I hope at least one of these books made it onto your list.
The common thread is that they go beyond “number go up.” They explore why Bitcoin exists, how it works, and what it means for society. Some are short and punchy, others more demanding - but each of them helped me see Bitcoin from a different angle.
There are plenty of great titles I’ve left out. I’ll cover those in a future article. If you’d like to read the follow-up when it’s finished, you can sign-up below:
Thanks for reading. And if you pick up one of these books - or have a recommendation of your own - let me know.
Post last updated: August 27th, 2025