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Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies: A Comprehensive Introduction
Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies provides a comprehensive introduction to the revolutionary yet often misunderstood new technologies of digital currency. Whether you are a student, software developer, tech entrepreneur, or researcher in computer science, this authoritative and self-contained book tells you everything you need to know about the new global money for the Internet age.
How do Bitcoin and its block chain actually work? How secure are your bitcoins? How anonymous are their users? Can cryptocurrencies be regulated? These are some of the many questions this book answers. It begins by tracing the history and development of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, and then gives the conceptual and practical foundations you need to engineer secure software that interacts with the Bitcoin network as well as to integrate ideas from Bitcoin into your own projects. Topics include decentralization, mining, the politics of Bitcoin, altcoins and the cryptocurrency ecosystem, the future of Bitcoin, and more.
An essential introduction to the new technologies of digital currency
Covers the history and mechanics of Bitcoin and the block chain, security, decentralization, anonymity, politics and regulation, altcoins, and much more
Features an accompanying website that includes instructional videos for each chapter, homework problems, programming assignments, and lecture slides
Also suitable for use with the authors' Coursera online course
Electronic solutions manual (available only to professors)
How do Bitcoin and its block chain actually work? How secure are your bitcoins? How anonymous are their users? Can cryptocurrencies be regulated? These are some of the many questions this book answers. It begins by tracing the history and development of Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, and then gives the conceptual and practical foundations you need to engineer secure software that interacts with the Bitcoin network as well as to integrate ideas from Bitcoin into your own projects. Topics include decentralization, mining, the politics of Bitcoin, altcoins and the cryptocurrency ecosystem, the future of Bitcoin, and more.
An essential introduction to the new technologies of digital currency
Covers the history and mechanics of Bitcoin and the block chain, security, decentralization, anonymity, politics and regulation, altcoins, and much more
Features an accompanying website that includes instructional videos for each chapter, homework problems, programming assignments, and lecture slides
Also suitable for use with the authors' Coursera online course
Electronic solutions manual (available only to professors)
336 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
August 13, 2017
This is the best introduction to Bitcoin and blockchains currently available. It is the tenth book I've read on the subject and it does the best job of providing context and clear technical explanations. It presents a balanced view of controversies. Many questions both social and technical remain open and are presented that way. The most interesting questions tend to be social so the ability to understand the technical details of the system and establish the social context is very useful. Particularly valuable were the descriptions of digital currency systems that were created previously. Understanding them can provide critical insight into related discussions that are often badly misunderstood. The motivation that shaped the success of Bitcoin is also significant. Many attacks on the system are discussed. I have seen legal issues dealt with in more detail elsewhere, I think that is reasonable. Etherium and other use cases for blockchains may become very important in the future. The discussion here is pretty brief and the author suggests this might be a topic for another book. Several alternatives (altcoins) are discussed.
Broadly speaking the topics covered by the book include the following:
Achieving decentralization and technical mechanics of the system.
Use and storage of Bitcoins.
Mining: the administration of the system.
Anonymity, Community, and Regulation.
Using the blockchain for new applications.
The content was accurate and sources were given to help dig deeper into any particular topic. By the end of the book, you have had a pretty reasonable introduction to the important issues relating to cryptocurrencies.
Here are a couple of quotes that reflect the insight of the book:
"Bitcoin is deep, novel, interesting, and based on sound principles."
"There were numerous failed attempts at digital or electronic cash before Bitcoin. Bitcoin's key difference compared to most of these attempts is decentralization. The core innovation of Bitcoin that enables that decentralization is the blockchain."
Broadly speaking the topics covered by the book include the following:
Achieving decentralization and technical mechanics of the system.
Use and storage of Bitcoins.
Mining: the administration of the system.
Anonymity, Community, and Regulation.
Using the blockchain for new applications.
The content was accurate and sources were given to help dig deeper into any particular topic. By the end of the book, you have had a pretty reasonable introduction to the important issues relating to cryptocurrencies.
Here are a couple of quotes that reflect the insight of the book:
"Bitcoin is deep, novel, interesting, and based on sound principles."
"There were numerous failed attempts at digital or electronic cash before Bitcoin. Bitcoin's key difference compared to most of these attempts is decentralization. The core innovation of Bitcoin that enables that decentralization is the blockchain."
July 23, 2021
(TH below)
This book is easy to get point about Bitcoin and what tech behind that. It’s cover topic blockchain, Mining, Altcoin or whatever you curious about what’s behind cryptocurrency in conservative way.
I especially like Foreword by Jeremy clark. But if you already read ‘Mastering Bitcoin’ I think this book not suit for you. I recommend to who have a little know about tech (like me) start with this.
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เป็นหนังสือจับฉ่าย (ที่ก็กินได้แต่ไม่ได้อร่อย) คงเป็นเพราะมาเห็นตอนมันเก่าไปแล้ว (หนังสือปี 2015 มาอ่านปี 2021) หลายเทคโนโลยีหรือบางโปรเจ็กต์ก็เก่าจนไม่มี แต่บางตัวก็ยังเห็นอยู่ แต่ตัดประเด็นเรื่องพวกนี้ไป เล่มนี้ดีมากเพราะทำให้เข้าใจเทคโนโลยีเบื้องหลังบิทคอยน์ด้วยภาษาที่เข้าใจได้ง่าย ซึ่งครอบคลุมหลายๆ เรื่องที่ยังคงเป็นประเด็นคำถามในปัจจุบัน เช่น
ขุดบิทคอยน์คุ้มมั้ย? (ก่อนจะไปคุ้มมั้ย เขาก็บอกแหละว่ามันคืออะไร ทำไมถึงเรียกว่า "ขุด") คือตอบแบบคณิตศาสตร์จ๋าๆ มีบอกสูตรให้ด้วย ว่าทำไมถึงคุ้มหรือไม่คุ้ม
จริงๆ ส่วนตัวเนื่องจากอ่านคู่กันกับ Mastering Bitcoin (ยังไม่จบ..) เลยรู้สึกว่าถ้าอ่าน Mastering Bitcoin จบก็ไม่ต้องอ่านเล่มนี้ก็ได้ เพราะก็พูดประเด็นเดียวกันหมด และ Mastering Bitcoin ก็ลึกกว่าด้วย แต่นั่นแหละ อาจเพราะว่า Mastering Bitcoin ลึกกว่าเลยทำให้เล่มนี้อ่านง่ายกว่าด้วย
This book is easy to get point about Bitcoin and what tech behind that. It’s cover topic blockchain, Mining, Altcoin or whatever you curious about what’s behind cryptocurrency in conservative way.
I especially like Foreword by Jeremy clark. But if you already read ‘Mastering Bitcoin’ I think this book not suit for you. I recommend to who have a little know about tech (like me) start with this.
-
เป็นหนังสือจับฉ่าย (ที่ก็กินได้แต่ไม่ได้อร่อย) คงเป็นเพราะมาเห็นตอนมันเก่าไปแล้ว (หนังสือปี 2015 มาอ่านปี 2021) หลายเทคโนโลยีหรือบางโปรเจ็กต์ก็เก่าจนไม่มี แต่บางตัวก็ยังเห็นอยู่ แต่ตัดประเด็นเรื่องพวกนี้ไป เล่มนี้ดีมากเพราะทำให้เข้าใจเทคโนโลยีเบื้องหลังบิทคอยน์ด้วยภาษาที่เข้าใจได้ง่าย ซึ่งครอบคลุมหลายๆ เรื่องที่ยังคงเป็นประเด็นคำถามในปัจจุบัน เช่น
ขุดบิทคอยน์คุ้มมั้ย? (ก่อนจะไปคุ้มมั้ย เขาก็บอกแหละว่ามันคืออะไร ทำไมถึงเรียกว่า "ขุด") คือตอบแบบคณิตศาสตร์จ๋าๆ มีบอกสูตรให้ด้วย ว่าทำไมถึงคุ้มหรือไม่คุ้ม
จริงๆ ส่วนตัวเนื่องจากอ่านคู่กันกับ Mastering Bitcoin (ยังไม่จบ..) เลยรู้สึกว่าถ้าอ่าน Mastering Bitcoin จบก็ไม่ต้องอ่านเล่มนี้ก็ได้ เพราะก็พูดประเด็นเดียวกันหมด และ Mastering Bitcoin ก็ลึกกว่าด้วย แต่นั่นแหละ อาจเพราะว่า Mastering Bitcoin ลึกกว่าเลยทำให้เล่มนี้อ่านง่ายกว่าด้วย
October 18, 2016
Browsing around, you'll find lots of ressources online, but not many concise and well-structured books going deeper and doing more than reaping low-hanging fruits. My hope and expectation with this book was that it will bring me
a balanced view on the topic (unlike one of those "Make Money Fast!" books)
a broader view than only technological - i.e. ethical, legal, or social implications should be discussed instead of explaining platform APIs
In summary, this book fulfilled my expectations, was well worth the reading time, and I absolutely recommend it.
It is easily readable, gives many concrete examples, shows where different implementation paths could lead.
Full review at my review blog.
a balanced view on the topic (unlike one of those "Make Money Fast!" books)
a broader view than only technological - i.e. ethical, legal, or social implications should be discussed instead of explaining platform APIs
In summary, this book fulfilled my expectations, was well worth the reading time, and I absolutely recommend it.
It is easily readable, gives many concrete examples, shows where different implementation paths could lead.
Full review at my review blog.
November 24, 2017
A broad and deep overview. Very thorough!
December 30, 2020
By far the most appealing initation into BTC.
Innovation only seems to be disruptive in hindsight, as clearly portrayed in the introduction. This galvanizes the reader into more challenging mathematical concepts.
The underlying technology will be demystified using scientifc knowledge such as Merkle Trees, RSA (...) with a plethora of examples. Nowaday we are faced with a myriad of (bad crypto) books, but this book will probably give you more than just a "first glimpse" of cryptotechnologies.
Innovation only seems to be disruptive in hindsight, as clearly portrayed in the introduction. This galvanizes the reader into more challenging mathematical concepts.
The underlying technology will be demystified using scientifc knowledge such as Merkle Trees, RSA (...) with a plethora of examples. Nowaday we are faced with a myriad of (bad crypto) books, but this book will probably give you more than just a "first glimpse" of cryptotechnologies.
August 24, 2021
The first 4 chapters will set you up to understand to appreciate the working of cryptocurrencies in general and bitcoin in specific!
December 30, 2017
Great intro to bitcoin and cryptocurrency
Prof Felten et al have written a technical yet approachable introduction to blockchain technology and its applications (bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies). A first or second-year CS student will be comfortable with the technical portions of the book. But the general material is suitable for any audience.
My only critical comment is that much has changed in the bitcoin / cryptocurrency community since late 2015 when the book was written. It would be good to update the book to reflect current hash rates (which are 25x higher), the rise of Etherium, and the hard fork that resulted in Bitcoin Cash.
Prof Felten et al have written a technical yet approachable introduction to blockchain technology and its applications (bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies). A first or second-year CS student will be comfortable with the technical portions of the book. But the general material is suitable for any audience.
My only critical comment is that much has changed in the bitcoin / cryptocurrency community since late 2015 when the book was written. It would be good to update the book to reflect current hash rates (which are 25x higher), the rise of Etherium, and the hard fork that resulted in Bitcoin Cash.
April 18, 2018
There's a lot of less than stellar literature on bitcoin and crypto out there. In fact, most of what you will find is poorly put together in a seeming mad dash to be first to market. Other resources simply tout the pie-in-the-sky potential of decentralization by painting idealist pictures of what a fantasy world could look like without really delving into the technology or acknowledging the many problems and challenges that are present (although I'm only halfway through that Tapscott book...). This seems to be the first and only comprehensive resource I've found the explains the technology at a low level, a high level, and thoroughly discusses both the implications and potential uses of the technology while also bringing to light inherent challenges and weaknesses in the tech that will make these uses difficult to adopt universally. One thing that was not covered is how blockchain technology could be disruptive independent of a cryptocurrency existing, but given the title I guess I can't really have expected that to be in there. Oh and another bonus is that it exists in video form: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNcS...
December 8, 2017
Frankly Speaking, this book is more like for the Bitcoin investors, diggers, or the one who plan to be bitcoin diggers. It explained very much in details about how Bitcoins are spent and traded on line, it compared many different current existing cryptocurrencies and if you are individual digger, actually there is no profits considering the big power bill to pay.
This book even explained how you get a bitcoin, only after you find our/ dig out a blockchain or , before that you get nothing, the longer and complete the blockchain you have formed, the better it will compensate you with bitcoins. Therefore in the book it also talks about some dudes actually cheated to cut in or steal other's hard work.
If you are a geek and want to understand how this code works, you could read this book, it does explain into details about the whole structures.
Mostly it focus on Bitcoin and less on blockchain, but they are tied to each other, so still worth reading, just choose what you want to know.
This book even explained how you get a bitcoin, only after you find our/ dig out a blockchain or , before that you get nothing, the longer and complete the blockchain you have formed, the better it will compensate you with bitcoins. Therefore in the book it also talks about some dudes actually cheated to cut in or steal other's hard work.
If you are a geek and want to understand how this code works, you could read this book, it does explain into details about the whole structures.
Mostly it focus on Bitcoin and less on blockchain, but they are tied to each other, so still worth reading, just choose what you want to know.
February 12, 2017
This textbook contains an in depth technical discussion of how bitcoin, and blockchains in general, work. It also covers the non-technical challenges associated with cryptocurrency and bitcoin in particular. While introduction to bitcoin articles give some idea of how bitcoin works, it took a deeper treatment like this to feel like I understood the details.
As someone who is mainly interested in blockchain as a technology rather than bitcoin in particular, the discussion of how the incentives for mining interact with the blockchain technology was particularly interesting because a non-currency blockchain is going to necessarily have a different incentive structure than a currency where the blockchain can generate and transfer value to reward mining.
By the way, a draft PDF of the book, which is what I read, is available from the authors: http://bitcoinbook.cs.princeton.edu/
As someone who is mainly interested in blockchain as a technology rather than bitcoin in particular, the discussion of how the incentives for mining interact with the blockchain technology was particularly interesting because a non-currency blockchain is going to necessarily have a different incentive structure than a currency where the blockchain can generate and transfer value to reward mining.
By the way, a draft PDF of the book, which is what I read, is available from the authors: http://bitcoinbook.cs.princeton.edu/
July 7, 2017
Ideale Kombination von leserfreundlicher Darstellung und Autorenkompetenz. Wissenschaftler sind nicht immer selbst in der Lage, ein für normale Leser angenehmes und verständliches Buch zu schreiben, so dass man sich meistens entscheiden muss, was wichtiger ist: detaillierte Fachkenntnis oder lesbare Darstellung. Hier ist beides drin. Weil sich das Thema schnell weiterentwickelt, ist das Buch nicht mehr ganz aktuell (2016 erschienen, der Inhalt endet aber beim Stand von 2015), das hat mich aber nicht gestört und war an vielen Stellen sogar ganz interessant als historischer Einblick. Außerdem haben die Autoren Entwicklungen, von denen sie noch nichts wissen konnten (das Ethereum/DAO-Debakel) schon ziemlich genau vorhergesehen. Nur vier Sterne und nicht fünf, weil manche Kapitel mich dann doch nicht ganz so brennend interessiert haben.
July 3, 2017
A great introductory book to cryptocurrencies for people with certain computer science background. However, even if you don't have much background on CS's algorithms and data structures, you would still find the book amazingly understandable and informative, especially in some of the last chapters (namely Bitcoin as a platform, Altcoins and The Future of Bitcoin). If you're looking for a book that is less superfluous and exaggerated about cryptocurrencies, this is definitely it.
October 1, 2017
This is THE definitive book on the topic of Bitcoin and decentralized systems. Although some of the lessons are a bit outdated, this is a great book if you really want to understand the technical underpinnings behind the technology.
January 4, 2018
Sono 300 pagine di goduria nerd: il libro è buona divulgazione, chiunque abbia capito come funziona la crittografia a chiave pubblica può leggerlo, le idee discusse sono quasi tutte ammirevolmente ingegnose.
Ne esco con l’impressione che le criptomonete restino un appassionante applicazione della scienza dei calcolatori alla socioeconomia, in un vasto esperimento in vivo.
L’innovazione più importante sembra la proposta di un processo abbastanza efficace per decentralizzare la creazione di una visione consensuale su informazioni distribuite, sostenuto da incentivi che fanno parte del processo stesso, proprio perché in questo caso l’informazione rappresenta valore (sempre costeggiando l’uroboro, perché il valore c’è davvero solo se c’è il consenso).
Proprio questa innovazione (la decentralizzazione, l’assenza di intermediari difficili da aggirare), al cuore dell’origine cypherpunk – nicchia molto minoritaria – delle criptomonete, è probabile verrà sacrificata se le criptomonete passeranno da investimento speculativo a uno strumento per mediare transazioni quotidiane.
«If we reduce ownership to the problem of securing private keys, it raises the stakes for digital security — a difficult problem in which humans are a weak link. Programmers have endeavored to write bug-free code for decades, but the challenge remains elusive. Designers of cryptosystems have tried for decades to entice nontechnical users to use and manage private keys in a way that resists both theft and accidental loss of keys, also with little progress. […] While there could be fallback mechanisms to cover these types of events, inevitably such mechanisms tend to lead us back toward intermediaries and centralized systems, chipping away at the benefits of the decentralized model we were striving for.»
Ne esco con l’impressione che le criptomonete restino un appassionante applicazione della scienza dei calcolatori alla socioeconomia, in un vasto esperimento in vivo.
L’innovazione più importante sembra la proposta di un processo abbastanza efficace per decentralizzare la creazione di una visione consensuale su informazioni distribuite, sostenuto da incentivi che fanno parte del processo stesso, proprio perché in questo caso l’informazione rappresenta valore (sempre costeggiando l’uroboro, perché il valore c’è davvero solo se c’è il consenso).
Proprio questa innovazione (la decentralizzazione, l’assenza di intermediari difficili da aggirare), al cuore dell’origine cypherpunk – nicchia molto minoritaria – delle criptomonete, è probabile verrà sacrificata se le criptomonete passeranno da investimento speculativo a uno strumento per mediare transazioni quotidiane.
«If we reduce ownership to the problem of securing private keys, it raises the stakes for digital security — a difficult problem in which humans are a weak link. Programmers have endeavored to write bug-free code for decades, but the challenge remains elusive. Designers of cryptosystems have tried for decades to entice nontechnical users to use and manage private keys in a way that resists both theft and accidental loss of keys, also with little progress. […] While there could be fallback mechanisms to cover these types of events, inevitably such mechanisms tend to lead us back toward intermediaries and centralized systems, chipping away at the benefits of the decentralized model we were striving for.»
May 24, 2018
Disclaimer: I read the free first-draft version of this book that was circulating online. I also skipped/ skimmed through most of chapter 8 on mining and hash puzzles.
I came across Narayanan when a friend from the Ethereum Foundation recommended the free online Princeton lectures on blockchain as a way to get started on the topic. I found the lectures very thorough, with the concepts broken down very clearly for non-technical amateurs like myself. The topics I enjoyed were the debunking of the anonymity myth (we should use 'pseudonymity' more) as well as the technical unpacking of 'decentralisation'. The idea of smart contracts and using protocols to build-in rules, deterrence and punishment in a system to hold players accountable is highly intriguing for the many use-cases it can spurn.
Having roughly completed this textbook I still can't say I'm well versed in this topic. The industry is moving so quickly, with the rise of altcoins and ICOs and accusations of close-looped databases within a consortium masquerading as blockchain technology. More examination and real application/ thinking has to be done.
I came across Narayanan when a friend from the Ethereum Foundation recommended the free online Princeton lectures on blockchain as a way to get started on the topic. I found the lectures very thorough, with the concepts broken down very clearly for non-technical amateurs like myself. The topics I enjoyed were the debunking of the anonymity myth (we should use 'pseudonymity' more) as well as the technical unpacking of 'decentralisation'. The idea of smart contracts and using protocols to build-in rules, deterrence and punishment in a system to hold players accountable is highly intriguing for the many use-cases it can spurn.
Having roughly completed this textbook I still can't say I'm well versed in this topic. The industry is moving so quickly, with the rise of altcoins and ICOs and accusations of close-looped databases within a consortium masquerading as blockchain technology. More examination and real application/ thinking has to be done.
November 25, 2020
A proper textbook where each chapter explains the main tradeoffs involved in a certain aspect of cryptocurrencies. Each chapter is engaging and fairly self-contained. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand how cryptocurrencies work.
The order in which chapters are presented was not helpful: I recommend you read chapters 1-4 first (which offer a broad introduction to the idea of cryptocurrency) and then jump around to chapters you find more interesting.
However, the book does not offer a complete understanding of how cryptocurrencies work. I imagine there will be other textbooks in the future that do a better job of abstracting away from the cryptographic details of cryptocurrencies and focus on the data structures they use and the economic structures they create.
The order in which chapters are presented was not helpful: I recommend you read chapters 1-4 first (which offer a broad introduction to the idea of cryptocurrency) and then jump around to chapters you find more interesting.
However, the book does not offer a complete understanding of how cryptocurrencies work. I imagine there will be other textbooks in the future that do a better job of abstracting away from the cryptographic details of cryptocurrencies and focus on the data structures they use and the economic structures they create.
December 24, 2018
Después de repasar cerca de una docena de libros sobre Bitcóin, si tuviera que quedarme con uno, indiscutiblemente elegiría este. Alcanza un perfecto equilibrio entre la el detalle en las explicaciones y la amplitud de temas tratados, Sin perderse en disquisiciones utópicas sobre cómo las cadenas de bloques van a cambiar el mundo y revolucionar la justicia hasta llevar a la humanidad a una nueva etapa de desarrollo.Rigor y detalle criptográfico, con fantásticos ejemplos, muy fácil de seguir, orientado a un público técnico, pero sin necesidad de entrar ya en programación. Excelente trabajo para introducirse en el mundo de Bitcóin.
September 24, 2021
This is the best book around for anyone who wants a deep understanding of exactly how Bitcoin works. You can find that in the opening chapters.
After that it goes into some much more nuanced discussions of potential applications that can be built on top of bitcoin, which might have been relevant in 2015 but are completely irrelevant today with much better blockchains being built specifically for that purpose such as Eth/Sol/Polkadot.
The book is a textbook so use it as such, don’t be afraid to skip over some irrelevant chapters.
After that it goes into some much more nuanced discussions of potential applications that can be built on top of bitcoin, which might have been relevant in 2015 but are completely irrelevant today with much better blockchains being built specifically for that purpose such as Eth/Sol/Polkadot.
The book is a textbook so use it as such, don’t be afraid to skip over some irrelevant chapters.
August 10, 2022
Incredible introduction to cryptocurrencies and bitcoin. Very deep and very ethically and technically interesting especially if you have some knowledge in the math behind cryptography and financial systems. Learned a lot about the blockchain, nonces, hashing, atomic transactions, mining, ASICS, Merkle trees, proof of work and stake, zero knowledge proofs, pools, decentralization, Turing completeness, and attacks. Looking forward to continue learning about other altcoins like Etherium, smart contracts, and understanding crypto even more.
December 30, 2020
An excellent coverage of the included material, which doesn't really suffer for being a few years "out of date" at this point. Most of the material is of a general technical nature, and/or touches on components of how Bitcoin works that are unlikely to change any time soon, so it remains fairly timely. This could probably be interchanged with the O'Reilly texts from Antonopoulos or Song on Bitcoin for a certain reader, but is probably the easiest general introduction overall of the three, while maintaining a lot of the same coverage. Easy to recommend for anyone interested, in any case.
December 28, 2021
Book by Arvind Narayana about bitcoin. Starts of with the description of what bitcoin is and the value that it could/will bring into the world through the importance of decentralized currencies. Even showing examples of how it already in many places has already been integrated for example in venezuela because of their unstable currency. Then the book continues with the description of who Satoshi nakamoto is and who he could be.........
February 25, 2018
Good explanation of Bitcoin’s technical details
The first three chapters provide a pretty good explanation of how Bitcoin works on a technical level. While it gets into the weeds, it is accessible to readers without a technical background.
The book’s later chapters are a bit uneven, but dive into some of the economics and policy issues raised by the currency.
The first three chapters provide a pretty good explanation of how Bitcoin works on a technical level. While it gets into the weeds, it is accessible to readers without a technical background.
The book’s later chapters are a bit uneven, but dive into some of the economics and policy issues raised by the currency.
May 29, 2018
The forward is a nice introduction.
The first 5 chapters are excellent in explaining the technical background of bitcoins and cryptocurrency.
The discussions in the latter chapters (6-11), however, are a little too sketchy.
Overall, an excellent book (probably the best available on the topic as of 2018).
The first 5 chapters are excellent in explaining the technical background of bitcoins and cryptocurrency.
The discussions in the latter chapters (6-11), however, are a little too sketchy.
Overall, an excellent book (probably the best available on the topic as of 2018).
July 30, 2018
Clear technical explanation of cryptocurrencies and bitcoin specifically. First 3 chapters are the most useful for general cryptocurrency. The rest is more specific and about bitcoin specifically. Just read the first 3 chapters for a good technical understanding.
April 24, 2020
A reasonably good introduction to Bitcoin and crypto in general. Obviously a good amount of this is outdated at this point, but it still reasonably gives a history of motivations and underlying tech involved in blockchain in 2015.
November 30, 2020
Overall a great introduction
Great introduction to the technologies employed in Bitcoin, as well as interesting discussions regarding the non-technical aspects of cryptocurrency. Would recommend to anyone who’s interested in cryptocurrency.
Great introduction to the technologies employed in Bitcoin, as well as interesting discussions regarding the non-technical aspects of cryptocurrency. Would recommend to anyone who’s interested in cryptocurrency.
July 9, 2017
Clear explanations of the fundamental principles behind blockchain.
I rented it at first, yet given the length and quality I bought it.
Much recommended.
I rented it at first, yet given the length and quality I bought it.
Much recommended.
August 24, 2017
Wow ... it takes a lot of time to truly understand this book, but at list I have the basics of cryptocurrency ... but this book cover all I think
November 3, 2017
Excellent lucid presentation with the right level of technical detail.
December 30, 2017
Hard textbook on bitcoin and blockchain.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews