Why Am I Making This Post?

I am posting this list here for three reasons:
  • These books will obviously be of interest to everyone on Stacker News, and I would like everyone’s feedback and opinions.
  • Secondly, I hope to incorporate some of the comments and/or criticisms of these books into the guide section of my bitcoin beginners newsletter directory. The learning resources page I have pinned to the territory is still not editable, so I will probably remove it soon and instead incorporate the best resources in the newsletter each week. If you have strong feelings about any of the books on this list, please reply. Also, please mention other books that I have not included.
  • Finally, I think it is important that we produce really good reviews of bitcoin books here on Stacker News. This territory has no shortage of book reviews. The reviews I imagine would do justice to the time and effort put in by these authors, and could also serve as a wonderful way to orange pill normies and promote Stacker News. I gave this a try with my review of the Genesis Book, but I’m frankly disappointed with my efforts. I really enjoyed the book, but looking back, I did not give my post the time and effort the book deserved. I intend to try again. When I’m satisfied with a review, I will promote it on nostr and maybe even substack. I will also include it in the Learning Resources section of the bitcoin beginners newsletter.

The Bitcoin Standard

by Saifedean Ammous This book is considered by many to be the best explanation of bitcoin ever published.

Broken Money

by Lyn Alden. This book will teach you about bitcoin while also teaching you everything you will ever need to know about money. Lyn Alden has given us a masterpiece. Read what The X Project has to say about it here.

Bitcoin Is Venice

by Allen Farrington and Sacha Meyers
"Entertaining and erudite, this is a manifesto for a more ethical monetary and financial system, for capitalism in its purest form and for 'number go up' technology. This book bridges the gap between the concept of an open-source sound money and the practical reality of an ethical and workable financial system." --Harris Irfan, author of Heaven’s Bankers

The Bullish Case For Bitcoin

by Vijay Boyapati. This is considered the best non technical introduction to bitcoin. It’s probably most useful for older people and those who have trouble using their computers and phones.

Mastering Bitcoin

by Andreas M. Antonopolous The first few chapters of this book are an excellent, non technical introduction to bitcoin. The rest of the book gets technical, but if you feel up to it, challenge yourself. In my opinion Andreas Antonopolous is a brilliant advocate for bitcoin and a talented teacher. He can explain bitcoin in an understandable way for the beginner, but can also explain the technical intricacies.

The Genesis Book

by Aaron Van Wirdum
This is the book to read if you want to learn about the history of cryptography, the cypherpunk movement, and the people who made bitcoin possible.
This is what Tuur Demeester said about the book: “I long suspected that van Wirdum was Bitcoin’s best historian, and this page-turner proves it. It’s a tour de force.
The Genesis Book is a highly readable and essential history, revealing the many causal connections between Viennese Classical Liberalism, the Anglo-Saxon Cypherpunk movement, and the advent of Bitcoin.
Whereas other books on the industry have tended to focus on headline-making entrepreneurs, van Wirdum has the technical chops to dig under the surface and correctly identify the brilliant figures who built the foundations on top of which the Bitcoin edifice was eventually engineered.
Over the course of 16 dense chapters, The Genesis Book combines the kind of in-depth research and philosophical connections that one could only expect from an industry veteran (van Wirdum was one of the first writers to ever gain employment in the Bitcoin industry), with the engaging prose you’d look for in a respected periodical.
One cannot understand Bitcoin without studying its extraordinary origins, and I’m thrilled this book exists to bring that knowledge to a wide audience.”

Resistance Money

by Andrew M Bailey, Bradley Rettler, and Craig Warmke The subtitle is “A Philosophical Case For Bitcoin.” Here’s what Alex Gladstein said about the book:
“Resistance Money is a piece of world-class scholarship that illuminates bitcoin as a way of resisting oppression. The book is accessible to all, including those with no previous knowledge of bitcoin. It will leave them packed with insights about the rise of Satoshi's new monetary technology and where it might take us tomorrow.”

Cryptosovereignty

The Encrypted Political Philosophy Of Bitcoin by Erik Cason Here’s what Gigi had to say:
I consider Cason’s book one of the most important works since the publication of the Cypherpunk Manifesto . Everyone who takes Bitcoin seriously should read it; those who don’t should read it twice. — Der Gigi, Author of 21 Lessons

21 Lessons

by Gigi. Through Gigi’s web page you can either buy the book from amazon or read it for free online and send Gigi value for value sats. Gigi turned a series of articles he wrote into a book. He has his own writing style. You will learn a lot from the book.

Digital Gold

by Nathaniel Popper This book is a history of bitcoin, rather than a book written to teach you about bitcoin. Still, it is well written and very entertaining, and you will learn a lot incidentally.

The Price Of Tomorrow

by Jeff Booth
“As someone who understands the exponential rate that technology is advancing, Jeff Booth has a unique ability to connect the dots to something bigger in this must read book. Few books offer a more succinct, provocative, and enlightening view of the world as it is today, and what it could be tomorrow. Your world view will transform instantly.” Salim Ismail

Layered Money

Nik Bhatia From Goodreads:
“In this fascinating deep dive into the evolution of monetary systems around the globe, Nik Bhatia takes us into the origins of how money has evolved to function in a layered manner.”
I've been doing a lot of Bitcoin reading lately including some books you've listed here. Also intend to write reviews so I can cement some of the ideas into my mind and understand them better.
Meta question: what do you think makes a "good" review? And why do you think yours feel short?
I can see them going in 2 directions, one being more of a condensed summary of the content, another being a more "literary" classic book review style which is more big picture and piques readers' curiosity to pick up the book.
I guess there are a thousand formats this could take really.
What makes a really good book review / summary?
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I didn't mean to complicate things. I just didn't feel that my review was complete. I focused on certain aspects and totally ignored big chunks of the book.
Please write some reviews!
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If you'd like to add a visual one, you can look at this. I compiled my notes and turned them into a visual book.
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74 sats \ 4 replies \ @Golu 30 Sep
Thanks for sharing Which one do you think a newbie should should start with
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Broken Money would be good to start with.
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84 sats \ 0 replies \ @Golu 30 Sep
Thanks, I'll start with that.
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To really, derive joy in your journey through the rabbit hole, I encourage you to start with baby steps. I mean, start with stuffs/authors that are simple and straightforward. Let me be biased here, I recommend you start with @dergigi website https://dergigi.com/ and "21 Lessions." Once you've become simply motivated enough, knowing that bitcoin isn't just about "number go up" but also many other things, you'll enjoy the ride reading other stuffs.
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His 21 ways bitcoin book is good too, although the majority of chapters isn't written for now.
It's brilliant that virtual markets such as second life, diablo and runescape have had actually real economies, just with a virtual arena, susceptible to dupes, regulatory pressure and so on. Bitcoin being a digital currency and not virtual, because if the arena of runescape is limited to the game, bitcoin's limited to who can store a seed phrase. In order to spend it also requires a computer connected to the internet. That's all.
Fiat's arena is the countries who imposes it. If they fall, their fiat currency falls too.
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I've only read 21 lessons. Thanks, I'll start with one of them from today.
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The Bullish Case for Bitcoin convinced me to purchase my first sats
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43 sats \ 0 replies \ @rawdo 30 Sep
👍
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Great list! Couple I still need to read
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Crypto by Steven Levy is a very interesting book about cryptography. Very easy to read it.
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Thanks for sharing.
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Don’t be disappointed with your book review. Be thankful that you got the words out, which would then resonate with whoever’s out there
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Thank you for this resource, it is something simple but very valuable. Very useful for those of us who are just starting out. My list of books 📚 to read continues to expand. You should never stop reading and learning.
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As you may have noticed, I am still learning... from the list I have read the "21 lessons" and "The Price of Tomorrow" I must continue reading📚📖
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Those two are a great start! Maybe Broken Money by Lyn Alden next?
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Yes, of course! Well, I'm currently reading CRYPTOECONOMICS Fundamental Principles of Bitcoin by Eric Voskuil, but I haven't finished it yet. I read it daily.
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I have never heard of this one, but it sounds very intriguing. I'm going to post an Amazon link so stackers can read a bit about it: https://www.amazon.com/Cryptoeconomics-Fundamental-Principles-Eric-Voskuil/dp/1735060828
Maybe you would consider writing a review when you are finished reading?
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Of course I do!! When I finish here in this territory I will do my review... just like you do it is my responsibility to share with others the knowledge that I am acquiring... and thus open the eyes of many more people!! towards knowledge and towards financial freedom 💪💪
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Great
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Thanks for the list. Plenty of resources!
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Nice list. Thanks! Pick and go...
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Didnt the guy that wrote the venice book have an ama recently?
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Yes he did. I also really liked his etf article, Trust Me Bro.
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I will have to read that one. I missed most of his ama because I was sleeping.
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I have been really bad at keeping track of the AMAs. I'm paying closer attention now.
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I always have to remember to go back and look at them. They usually contain quite a bit of information that is relevant.
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Gladstein's books should be in here somewhere. (Hidden Repression being one of them)
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This is a great list. I read all except The Genesis Book, Resistance Money, Cryptosovereignty, and Layered Money.I am definitely going to read these books.
I am currently reaing Bitcoin Is Venice.
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And another one I forgot, though I bet some stackers wish I hadn't remembered:
Soft War, by Maj Jason P Lowery
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I knew this would happen. I have already thought of a bunch more I didn't include in the list. Oh well. Programming Bitcoin and Fiat Ruins Everything by Jimmy Song, The Blocksize Wars. I'm sure there are more.
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