Best Cryptocurrency Books
Topic List56 books curated76 recommendations totalCryptocurrency books, including titles recommended by Raoul Pal, Naval Ravikant and Preston Pysh. Most recommended here: The Sovereign Individual, American Kingpin and The Bitcoin Standard.
Where to start: Cryptocurrency Books recommended most often
Recommended books, ranked by how many of the 40 people behind this list recommended each one.
- 1The Sovereign Individual12 recommendations · recommended by Balaji S. Srinivasan, Erik Torenberg and Naval Ravikant
- 2American Kingpin11 recommendations · recommended by Ankur Warikoo, Chris Dixon and John Henderson
- 3The Bitcoin Standard8 recommendations · recommended by Preston Pysh, Max Keiser and Raoul Pal
- 4Bitcoin Billionaires6 recommendations · recommended by Anthony Pompliano, Ankur Warikoo and James Altucher
- 5Digital Gold4 recommendations · recommended by Anthony Pompliano and Linda Xie

Mastering the Transition to the Information Age
Recommended by Balaji S. Srinivasan, Erik Torenberg, Naval Ravikant and 7 others
The Sovereign Individual reads like a dense, broad forecast of how digital technology will shift power from governments to individuals. It’s most useful as a provocative framework for thinking about financial independence and societal transformation. However, its grand historical theories and unwavering certainty can feel more like libertarian sermon than balanced analysis. The book is dated in parts, with some predictions that haven’t materialized, and its tone may alienate readers who prefer nuance over broad declarations.

The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road
Recommended by Ankur Warikoo, Chris Dixon, John Henderson and 5 others
Nick Bilton writes a page-turning, reportorial account of Silk Road’s rise and fall, mixing newsroom detail with thriller pacing. Its useful part is the step-by-step reconstruction: setup, marketplace mechanics, the role of cryptocurrency, and the cat-and-mouse between operators and investigators. The limitation is episodic repetition—periods of breathless narrative alternate with long procedural or technical detours that pad runtime and undercut momentum. If you want scene-level reporting and dramatic chronology rather than deep legal or policy analysis, it delivers.

The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking
Recommended by Preston Pysh, Max Keiser, Raoul Pal and 4 others
Saifedean Ammous mixes monetary history, industrial-era examples, and libertarian argument to make a case for Bitcoin as a form of hard money. The useful parts are the historical narrative that clarifies why scarcity and savings mattered in past economic development. The book's limitation is its unapologetically one-sided tone; counterarguments get brisk dismissals and technical complexities are sometimes glossed over. Readers seeking a detached survey or a technical how-to will feel shortchanged. Those already sympathetic to the central claim will find the narrative energizing.

A True Story of Genius, Betrayal, and Redemption
Recommended by Anthony Pompliano, Ankur Warikoo, James Altucher and 1 other
The fascinating story of brothers Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss's big bet on cryptocurrency and its dazzling payoff.Planning to start careers as venture capitalists, the brothers quickly discover that no one will take their money after their fight with Zuckerberg.

Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money
Recommended by Anthony Pompliano and Linda Xie
New York Times Book Review Editors ChoiceSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2015 FINANCIAL TIMES AND MCKINSEY BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEARA New York Times Technology, and business reporter charts the dramatic rise of Bitcoin and the fascinating personalities who are striving to create a new…

Idealism, Greed, Lies, and the Making of the First Big Cryptocurrency Craze
Recommended by Raoul Pal and Antonio García Martínez
Laura Shin assembles profile-driven reporting and market chronology into a readable account of crypto's rise, mixing lively portraits with blow-by-blow descriptions of booms, busts, and pitched ideological fights. What works best is a sense of the personalities, cultural claims, and market episodes that shaped public debate. The main limitation is a reliance on anecdotes and narrative momentum rather than deep technical or regulatory analysis, which leaves readers wanting more if they need nuts-and-bolts explanations or clear policy roadmaps.

Building Smart Contracts and DApps
Recommended by Preston Pysh, Mark Russinovich and Tim O’Reilly
Mastering Ethereum reads like a practical developer handbook that moves from conceptual overviews to line-by-line code and protocol internals. Expect clear runnable examples, deployment notes, and detailed explanations of transactions, gas, the EVM, and smart-contract behavior useful while building. The limitation is density: long technical passages assume programming experience and can feel granular or repetitive to a non-technical reader. Best used as a study reference during implementation rather than a quick introduction.

The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions
Recommended by Howard Marks
An exclusive blackjack club came up with a system to take the worldUs most sophisticated casinos for all they were worth. In two years, this ring of card savants earned more than three million dollars.

The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations
Recommended by Changpeng Zhao
If you cut off a spiders head, it dies; if you cut off a starfishs leg it grows a new one, and that leg can grow into an entirely new starfish. Traditional topdown organizations are like spiders, but now starfish organizations are changing the face of business and the world.

The Nightmare of Deficit Spending, Devaluation, and Hyperinflation in Weimar Germany
Recommended by Preston Pysh
When Money Dies is the classic history of what happens when a nation's currency depreciates beyond recovery.In 1923, with its currency effectively worthless (the exchange rate in December of that year was one dollar to 4,200,000,000,000 marks), the German republic was all but…

From Gold and Dollars to Bitcoin and Central Bank Digital Currencies
Recommended by Preston Pysh and Anthony Pompliano
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.

Promise, Practice, and Application of the Next Internet Technology,
Recommended by Brad Feld
The definitive pioneering blueprint covering the what, why, and how of the blockchain.Blockchains are new Technology, layers that rewire the Internet and threaten to sidestep older legacy constructs and centrally served businesses.

A Comprehensive Introduction
Recommended by Tai Lopez
Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies provides a comprehensive introduction to the revolutionary yet often misunderstood new technologies of digital currency.

Programming, the Open Blockchain
Recommended by Balaji S. Srinivasan and Mark Russinovich
Join the technological revolution that's taking the world of finance by storm. Mastering Bitcoin is your guide through the seemingly complex world of bitcoin, providing the knowledge you need to participate in the internet of money.

How an Army of Cryptohackers Is Building the Next Internet with Ethereum
Recommended by Linda Xie and Tyler Cowen
Written with the verve of such works as The Big Short, The History of the Future, and The Spider Network, here is the fascinating, true story of the rise of Ethereum, the secondbiggest digital asset in the world, the growth of cryptocurrency, and the future of the internet as we…

Why Bitcoin Matters for Your Freedom, Finances, and Future
Recommended by Anthony Pompliano and Balaji S. Srinivasan
You've probably heard about Bitcoin on the news or heard it being discussed by your friends or colleagues. How come the price keeps changing Is Bitcoin a good investment How does it even have value Why do people keep talking about it like it's going to change the worldThe Little…

Why Deflation is the Key to an Abundant Future
Recommended by Preston Pysh and Max Keiser
"Your world view will transform instantly" Salim Ismail, Best Selling Author of 'Exponential Organizations' We live in an extraordinary time.
Why Wall Street Recovers but the Economy Never Does
Recommended by Ben Shapiro
Why do conservatives have such a hard time winning the economic debate in the court of public opinion Simple, George Gilder says: conservatives misunderstand economics almost as badly as liberals do.
Show 33 more books with a single recommendation

The Blockchain and the Future of Everything
Recommended by Balaji S. Srinivasan
"Views differ on bitcoin, but few doubt the transformative potential of Blockchain Technology,. The Truth Machine is the best book so far on what has happened and what may come along. It demands the attention of anyone concerned with our economic future." Lawrence H.

Jason A. Williams delivers a brisk, promotional primer that frames bitcoin as 'hard money' and places it against the upheaval of 2020. The voice is punchy and persuasive, useful for readers who want a clear narrative connecting monetary policy shocks to a reason to own bitcoin. What works best is its readable, confidently pro-bitcoin argument; the main limitation is tone—repetition and scarce technical or critical counterarguments leave detail-oriented skeptics wanting more nuance.

How the Technology, Behind Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies Is Changing the World
Recommended by Don Tapscott
MAJORLY EXPANDED WITH NEW MATERIAL ON CRYPTOASSETS, ICOs, SMART CONTRACTS, DIGITAL IDENTITY AND MORE The definitive book on how the Technology, behind bitcoin and cryptocurrency is changing the world.Blockchain is the ingeniously simple Technology, that powers Bitcoin.
Some people still view Bitcoin as a startup. But despite being declared dead many times by the mainstream media, Bitcoin grows stronger every year. What's going on It's not too late to learn about Bitcoin and invest.

The Collected Writings of Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto
Recommended by Preston Pysh
Have you, like the rest of the world, speculated as to the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto, anonymous creator of Bitcoin The world's first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin went online in 2009 and has since revolutionized our concepts of currency and money.
A collection of talks by Andreas M. Antonopoulos (Volume One)
Recommended by Peter Jennings
The Internet of Money is a collection of inspiring and visionary talks by worldrenowned bitcoin expert Andreas M. Antonopoulos, describing the future of money in an approachable, engaging and amusing way suitable for all audiences, whether technical or not. Andreas M.

The Innovative Investor's Guide to Bitcoin and Beyond
Recommended by Peter Jennings
This investor-oriented primer translates blockchain basics into asset categories, valuation approaches, and portfolio-sizing ideas. Early chapters make crypto vocabulary and asset roles accessible; the middle leans into formulas, charts, and scenario math that demand focused attention. The most directly useful material is practical guidance on sizing and treating crypto exposures in a portfolio rather than market buzz. Limitations include accumulating finance jargon and a tone that favors analysis over storytelling or quick trading tactics.

The Rule of Code
Bitcoin has been hailed as an Internet marvel and decried as the preferred transaction vehicle for criminals. It has left nearly everyone without a computer science degree confused: how do you "mine" money from ones and zerosThe answer lies in a Technology, called blockchain.
How Bitcoin and the Blockchain Are Challenging the Global Economic Order
Bitcoin became a buzzword overnight. A cyberenigma with an enthusiastic following, it pops up in headlines and fuels endless media debate. You can apparently use it to buy anything from coffee to cars, yet few people seem to truly understand what it is.

How to Create, Sell and Buy NonFungible Tokens
The NFT Handbook is a detailed guide on how to create, sell and buy nonfungible tokens without the need for a technical background.
Blockchains, Digital Assets, Smart Contracts, Decentralized Autonomous Organizations
Blockchain For the NonTechnical THIS IS A PREVIEW PRINT As IBM´s official liaison to the Ethereum core developers I gave talks on blockchain topics pretty much around the world. After one keynote I was asked for a nontechnical guide to understand blockchains. This is it.
Unlocking the Power of Cryptocurrencies, Smart Contracts, and Decentralized Applications
The future will be increasingly distributed. As the publicity surrounding Bitcoin and blockchain has shown, distributed Technology, and business models are gaining popularity. Yet the disruptive potential of this Technology, is often obscured by hype and misconception.
The Ultimate Guide About Blockchain, Mining, Trading, ICO, Ethereum Platform, Exchanges, Top Cryptocurrencies for Investing and Perfect Strategies to Make Money
The Present and Future of Blockchain and Cryptocurrencies
Some experts say that cryptocurrencies and blockchains are just a scam; others say they're "the most important invention since the internet." It's hard to tell who's right.
The Technology, Behind the First Truly Scarce and Decentralized Money Explained
Bitcoin may well be the greatest invention of our time, and most people have no idea what it is, or how it works. Walking through its invention step by step, this short two hour read is critical before you invest. No technical expertise required!

Learn the ins and outs of Bitcoin so you can get started today Bitcoin For Dummies is the fast, easy way to start trading crypto currency, with clear explanations and expert advice for breaking into this exciting new market.

Foundations of Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Programming, for Beginners
Learn how to use Solidity and the Ethereum project second only to Bitcoin in market capitalization. Blockchain protocols are taking the world by storm, and the Ethereum project, with its Turingcomplete scripting language Solidity, has rapidly become a frontrunner.
Blueprint for a New Economy
Bitcoin is starting to come into its own as a digital currency, but the blockchain Technology, behind it could prove to be much more significant.
An Absolute Beginner's Guide to the Biggest "Millionaire Maker" Asset of 2022 and Beyond Including How to Make Money from NFTs
An Absolute Beginner?s Guide to the Cryptocurrency Which Is Changing the World and Your Finances in 2021 & Beyond
If you feel like you've "missed the boat" on Bitcoin. Think again...Because while Bitcoin continues to hit all time highs, this book will show you it's not too late to invest in "Digital Gold"What was once a fringe currency only used by a dark corner of the web...

How Leaders Can Create Value in a New Digital Age
Blockchain is transforming business. What's your strategy Forwardthinking organizations such as the Australian Stock Exchange, Equinor, the City of Austin, and dozens of others are exploring how blockchain can transform the way they create and seek value.
The Future of Big Tech Monopolies and the Blockchain Internet

The Design of Everyday Life
A field manual to the technologies that are changing our lives at bewildering speed Everywhere we turn, our everyday experience is being overlaid and interrupted by startling new technologies.
The Creation, Corruption and Redemption of Money
"There is an economic storm brewing that threatens the sandy foundations of our monetary system." From the Foreword by Russell Okung, Super Bowl ChampionMoney is a fact of everyday life. We earn it, spend it and save it.

Bitcoin, Blockchain, Ethereum & Smart Contracts
Attack of the 50 Foot Blockchain delivers a brisk, snarky counterpoint to celebratory crypto writing, translating jargon and headline promises into readable cautions and anecdotes. Its useful part is a plain-English, skeptical voice that highlights common business and technological pitfalls. Its main limitation is tone: the writing can feel polemical and repetitive, lingering on debunking rather than offering deep technical primers or practical how-to guidance. Best used as a critical companion to other, more neutral technical sources.

A NonTechnical Introduction in 25 Steps
In 25 concise steps, you will learn the basics of blockchain Technology,. No mathematical formulas, program code, or computer science jargon are used. No previous knowledge in computer science, mathematics, Programming,, or cryptography is required.

The ultimate guide to the world of cryptocurrencies!While the cryptocurrency market is known for its volatilityand this volatility is often linked to the everchanging regulatory environment of the industrythe entire cryptocurrency market is expected to reach a total value of $1…
Bitcoin and the Fight for the Future of Finance
In the space of a few years, Bitcoin has gone from an idea ignored or maligned by almost everyone to an asset with a market cap of more than $12 billion.
An Introduction to Cryptocurrencies and the Technology, that Powers Them

The Amazing Story of Ethereum and the $55 Million Heist that Almost Destroyed It All
The thrilling story of one of the largest digital heists in history, set in the world of cryptocurrenciesIn 2016, $55 million was stolen as computer programmers all around the world sat at their screens watching helplessly. It was one of the largest digital heists in history.
Recommended Cryptocurrency Books by Preston Pysh
Preston Pysh recommends 6 books on this list. See all book recommendations by Preston Pysh
Recommended Cryptocurrency Books by Anthony Pompliano
Anthony Pompliano recommends 5 books on this list. See all book recommendations by Anthony Pompliano
Recommended Cryptocurrency Books by Balaji S. Srinivasan
Balaji S. Srinivasan recommends 4 books on this list. See all book recommendations by Balaji S. Srinivasan
Cryptocurrency Books: common questions
- What are the most recommended cryptocurrency books?
- The Sovereign Individual, American Kingpin and The Bitcoin Standard are the most recommended cryptocurrency books on BookMentions, ranked by how many people recommended them.
- Who recommends cryptocurrency books?
- Preston Pysh, Anthony Pompliano, Balaji S. Srinivasan and Max Keiser are among the people who recommend books on this list. Each name links to their full set of book recommendations.
- Which of these cryptocurrency books should I read first?
- The Sovereign Individual is the most recommended here with 12 recommendations, which makes it the safest place to start.
Built from recommendation data, category signals, and source-backed book records. Use this list as a starting point; open any book to see proof, context, and Amazon options where available.
About this list
This list aggregates books that appear in public recommendation sources, reader-interest signals, and category data. Books are ranked by their position from the source list; recommendation counts and ratings are shown where available. Open any book to see source-backed recommendation proof, editorial context, and Amazon options — the per-book detail page is where the trust signals live.
Recommended books by person: who recommends cryptocurrency books
Books recommended by the people below. Open a profile to see everything they recommend, with the source behind each pick.
- Preston PyshBooks recommended by Preston: 6
- Anthony PomplianoBooks recommended by Anthony: 5
- Balaji S. SrinivasanBooks recommended by Balaji: 4
- Max KeiserBooks recommended by Max: 3
- Ankur WarikooBooks recommended by Ankur: 2
- Linda XieBooks recommended by Linda: 2
- Mark RussinovichBooks recommended by Mark: 2
- Peter JenningsBooks recommended by Peter: 2
- Raoul PalBooks recommended by Raoul: 2
- Alexis OhanianBooks recommended by Alexis: 1

- Ameer RosicBooks recommended by Ameer: 1
- Antonio García MartínezBooks recommended by Antonio: 1