If you are willing to learn more about digital coins and blockchain, it can be tricky to start your crypto study. There is a great demand for them, but very few good books on cryptocurrency actually exist. Knowledgeable authors are rare, and every blog post claims their recommendation is the best crypto book ever written. Where to start and how to find the best books on crypto and blockchain? 

The answer is: you will have to do it. In this article, you will find our recommended reading list of the best cryptocurrency books for beginners. With all their virtues and weaknesses, they are merely a good starting point. Finding the best crypto book will be a matter of your personal choice and interest.

10 Books On Cryptocurrency You Should Read

One of the greatest risks of trading with cryptocurrencies lies in their volatility. Their value can rise as quickly as it can drop, leaving millions of investors without their money. Being able to predict these fluctuations is a top priority for anyone willing to benefit from the crypto market. Therefore, anyone seriously into digital coins should dedicate some time to reading crypto books. Reading through top books on cryptocurrencies and the underlying technology is the only way to gain in-depth knowledge to secure safe and beneficial trading.

Books about blockchain are filled with extremely valuable information. They will not only introduce you to this technology in theory, but also provide you with important insights from authors’ personal experiences.

There are several ways you can learn about crypto. Those that are not fans of reading usually opt for one of many free online crypto courses.

Another alternative is listening to podcasts or following YouTube channels dedicated to crypto. 

Finally, many people decide to do it like in the good old days and buy a book. In case you are in this third group of paperback lovers, here is a suggested reading list for you.

Our Top 10 books on cryptocurrency to read in 2022

The following ten publications that entered our best crypto books list made it there based on the following criteria:

• they are meant for beginners and written in a comprehensive style
• their authors are famous crypto advocates and have years of experience in the crypto domain
• they are popular among readers and in crypto circles.

Therefore, without any further delay, here is our list of top books on cryptocurrency for absolute beginners.

#1 The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains 

by Antony Lewis

Written by Antony Lewis, a natural scientist, technologist, and former banker, this is one of Amazon’s top cryptocurrency books. The book quickly became a best-seller since it gives a broad and comprehensive overview of bitcoin, blockchain technology, and the basics of crypto investment. 

The book owes its popularity to the author’s vast knowledge and clear-cut writing. He translates the language of the new technologies to a common reader without any effort. Although filled with detailed information, the bookis made for anyone interested in the future of blockchain, regardless of previous knowledge.

Lewis opens the book with a chapter dedicated to money, its definition, types, and value. He then goes on to introduce the reader to digital tokens, cryptography, and cryptocurrencies. Finally, he explores the basics of blockchain, ICOs, and crypto investment. In these chapters, readers can find valuable information on risks and safety related to the crypto trade. Apart from that, there are interesting case studies, additional information on Ethereum, and many more.

Apart from being Amazon’s #1 best-seller, the book has a very high rating from readers. Some of them, though, point out some downsides of the book as well. For those readers, it is too theoretical and not particularly helpful to those willing to invest. Rather, it is recommended for people seeking to gain broader knowledge and context of blockchain development.

#2 Cryptocurrency Investing For Dummies

by Kiana Danial

Although there is a huge discrepancy between blockchain significance and people’s awareness about it, there aren’t many “cryptocurrency for dummies” books out there. And especially not the good ones. 

Kiana Danial is an exception. She managed to write an extraordinary cryptocurrency investing book for beginners.

Danial is a very interesting character. She was born in Iran and studied electrical engineering in Japan. In the US, she runs the investment coaching company InvestDiva. Apart from that, she is a dedicated educator, writer, and feminist.

Her background is deeply interwoven with her book. She gives a thorough overview of what cryptocurrencies are, reasons to invest in them, and how to do it in the most lucrative manner.

The originality of her perspective is quite well received, and numerous overviews give her book an average 4.5 rating on Amazon. The publication is praised as a highly informative and useful book for cryptocurrency investing and trade. Since no prior knowledge is required to understand it, this is certainly one of the best books for cryptocurrency investing for beginners you can find nowadays.

#3 Mastering Blockchain

by Imran Bashir 

The author of this highly informative blockchain book is an IT professional, architect, and financial advisor. Apart from “Mastering,” he wrote several other books about blockchain technology.

The topics he focuses on are diverse and interesting. On the one hand, he gives a new perspective of main blockchain concepts, such as consensus algorithms, tokenization, cryptography, smart contracts.

He also writes about concepts unfamiliar to most readers, such as the architecture of Hyperledger Sawtooth and other distributed ledger platforms. It is one of the rare books on Ethereum 2.0. Many agree that this is one of the best books on blockchain published in the last couple of years.

This book is meant mostly for people with backgrounds in IT, business, and/or tech. The fact that it is written in highly technical language is probably why it has a very small number of ratings. Although very illuminative, provided you have the necessary background (hence high rating grade), this book can be hard to read for the general readership.

#4 Blockchain Technology Explained

by Alan T. Norman

Many readers rated this beginner’s guide as one of the best books on blockchain published so far. Norman has proven his expertise in crypto as a hacker and entrepreneur in his many books on bitcoin, crypto mining, machine learning, and online safety.

The book answers a specific set of most frequently asked questions about blockchain. The author starts by diving into the essence of blockchain logic and operation. Then, he further explores the history of blockchain and cryptocurrencies (focusing on bitcoin and ethereum). 

Finally, the author investigates the regulation and potential implications of blockchain outside finance. His main point is that blockchain has a great potential to bring back trust in public institutions. The book is therefore imagined to give a multiperspective and multidimensional overview of blockchain technology.

The book has gained a readership worldwide and is translated to French, Spanish, and Chinese. 

However, some opinions wouldn’t recommend Norman’s publication. They find the book overly basic, lacking the necessary depth in explaining the technology. Therefore, this book is one of the best blockchain books for beginners seeking only a brief and comprehensive introduction. Those in search of a more detailed approach should perhaps look elsewhere.

#5 Ethereum

by Ikuya Takashima

Here is another example of top crypto books for beginners. The author is a software developer and entrepreneur. Apart from that, he is a passionate writer and crypto advocate. In his bibliography, he has a series of digital currency books and those about blockchain and ICOs.

This book is imagined as an ultimate guide to the most famous cryptocurrency next to bitcoin. Takashima’s target audience is people willing to invest in crypto, and more specifically in ethereum. It is a short but comprehensive investment guide and one of the best books to read about cryptocurrency for beginners.

However, some readers do have a few criticisms. They mostly refer to the book’s repetitive style and lack of perspective that would assess risks involved in ethereum investments.

#6 How Money Got Free: Bitcoin and the Fight for the Future of Finance

by Brian Patrick Eha

When this book was first published in 2017, a year that was a turning point in bitcoin’s history, it caused quite a lot of attention in public. Business Insider and Wire wrote excerpts from it. Many blogs and individuals announced it as the best book about cryptocurrency written so far.

B. P. Eha is a well-versed journalist. He has written for CNNMoney, Fortune, American Banker, Entrepreneur, and more. Apart from fintech, his writings show interest in AI, literature, culture, and business. “How money got free” is his only book for now. 

This book dives into the short yet turbulent history of bitcoin. It explains how the world’s most popular currency went from hackers’ obscure idea to a highly valuable market cap. Eha’s narrative is focused on bitcoin’s struggle against banks and outdated governmental systems.

At the end of the book, the author gives a brief outline of the crypto future.

Although it doesn’t seem to attract as much attention on Amazon as it did in public in 2017, people appear to be quite satisfied with its content value. Some voices think that it could be better edited and organized to make it more coherent. Even if it isn’t the best book for cryptocurrency ever, it is certainly one of the best books on cryptocurrency for beginners.

#7 Thank God for Bitcoin

by Bitcoin and Bible Group (Jimmy Song, Gabe Higgins, et al.)

“Thank God for Bitcoin” is probably one of the most peculiar books on bitcoin you can find at the moment. It was written by a group of authors named Bitcoin and Bible Group. The two names standing out from this group are Jimmy Song and Gabe Higgins, people with very interesting backgrounds.

Jimmy Song is one of the most famous bitcoin advocates, but also an entrepreneur and developer. He has published three books so far; all are focused on bitcoin. Gabe Higgins is an entrepreneur also inspired by crypto and Christianity. In one of his blog posts, he describes himself the following way: “I’m a Christian and a Bitcoiner.”

The two authors write about crypto from a moral and rather philosophical perspective. They relate the emergence of bitcoin to issues such as poverty, injustice, slavery, and social fragmentation. The authors have high hopes for bitcoin to help resolve the burning issues of humanity. 

It has a quite high rating by readers (4.6). Although, the book doesn’t seem very popular (only 200+ reviews) and has some significant setbacks. The critics stand in two categories. The group of readers that doesn’t mind the connection between religion and crypto mostly criticizes the lack of deeper theological knowledge to support the conclusions. On the other hand, some readers disapprove of this connection altogether. The latter group critics conclude this book is probably not the best bitcoin book you want to read if you want to learn what bitcoin truly is.

#8 A Beginner’s Guide To Bitcoin

by Matthew R. Kratter

Judging by the number of books he wrote and the Trader University he founded, Matthew R. Kratter seems fully dedicated to transmitting his knowledge about stocks and trade.

In his book, he focuses completely on bitcoin. He is interested in the reality of bitcoin and writes about it from the perspective of the stock and share market. 

To tell the truth, Kratter’s University is not an educational institution but rather a blog with much useful information on the trade economy. Kratter also owns a YouTube channel with a significant number of followers. 

This book made it to our top cryptocurrency books list because of its popularity among readers. 

The vast majority of people who rated it on Amazon are quite satisfied with the content and find it one of the most helpful books on bitcoin. The minority, however, wouldn’t enlist it among the best bitcoin books because of its narrow perspective. Namely, it doesn’t explain bitcoin and crypto into much detail. It remains preoccupied with proving that bitcoin is the new gold and what it takes to earn the most from it. Some of the readers also point out that he often speculates, giving opinions without any obvious explanation why he thinks that way.

#9 An Altcoin Trader’s Handbook

by Nick Patel

Nick Patel has been into crypto for a bit less than a decade. He gained popularity on social media, providing his followers with regular updates on altcoin speculation and trade.

In his only and therefore best cryptocurrency trading book so far, he essentially does the same thing. Patel points out that it is not his intention to provide a “get-rich-quick-scheme.” Rather than that, he shares his own dusty road to success. The book is filled with personal anecdotes whose purpose is to educate the reader on bright and not-so-bright sides of crypto trade reality.

The author is very detailed about the process that made him take full advantage of cryptocurrency trading. He suggests a three-step approach to crypto trading. According to him, research, accumulation, and distribution are levels that lead crypto traders towards success.

Unfortunately, the popularity of this author on Twitter doesn’t match the popularity of his book on Amazon. Although only 352 people rated the book, most of them find it one of the best books on crypto trading. They praise its accessible and comprehensive style, practical insights, and instructiveness. On the other hand, some people say that this book’s insights are outdated compared to other cryptocurrency trading books published in the meantime.

#10 Cryptocurrency Investing Bible

by Alan T. Norman

This is another publication by the famous blockchain advocate from social media. In this book, Norman focuses on crypto investments and explores benefits you can get from crypto even if you don’t have large amounts of capital.

Again, in his book on cryptocurrency investing, Norman isn’t about deep insights. Rather, he intends to keep up with the current trends in the crypto market. He offers seven strategies, which he believes can help you start a business based on the crypto trade.

Honourable mentions

Here is a brief overview of popular crypto books that didn’t make it into our top 10.

The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money Are Challenging the Global Economic Order

Published in 2015 by Wall Street journalists Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey, this book raises an important question of why we should all know about cryptocurrency, and how it will change our lives.

Written with an easy-going approach, The Age of Cryptocurrency is tackling the benefits and challenges of the new economy: its great potential as a decentralized system, and the threats of its constant fluctuations and instability.

A History of Money

Glyn Davies has been established as an author worth our attention. Since A History of Money first saw the light of day, it has been sold in thousands of copies and republished many times.

Benefiting from strong reviews from eminent critics such as Financial Times, this book deserves to be on the list with our honourable mentions. With a unique approach, it analyzes the development of our economy from the dawn of time until the present day, helping us understand how to find our way around the digital era of money.

Digital Cash: The Unknown History of the Anarchists, Utopians, and Technologists Who Created Cryptocurrency

Coming from Finn Burton, associate professor at New York University, Digital Cash is created to cover all the main aspects in the development of our economy. This story is revealing the societal and political aspects of the development of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology and brings it closer to us, the end-users. 

In these pages, Finn is also exploring the basis of trust we put into our economy and the essence of how money starts having real value to us.