2019 Crypto-related Books to Read

During my down time in 2018, I’ve found reading books directly or indirectly about crypto extremely calming and has allowed me to take on new angles. An old habit of mine I practiced when I first got involved was going through the top 50 coins and trying to memorize every last detail about each coin. Not only that, I attempted to track all the prices at all times. Surely, I became sucked in to a point where I was too bogged down by the endless info I felt I had to know by heart.

This past year, I’ve taken a step away from all that and spent more time reading. These are a few of my favorite for those of you who want to do the same. Here’s a good starter pack for 2019.

Books, books, books

1. Internet of Money by Andreas M. Antonopoulos — It was the first book to step away from all the details and be able to get an overarching point of view on how transformative technology has been to this century. It highlights bitcoin’s historical and social significance and how it is set to change to course of history. The crypto community is seriously just etching the beginning to prove its capabilities through the concept of a decentralized network.
2. Cryptoassets: The Innovative Investor’s Guide to Bitcoin and Beyond by Chris Burniske — It’s one of the best books I’ve found on how to value cryptoassets with the current available tools. Cryptoassets are clearly not at par with the traditional assets but there are a number of techniques that can draw a more defined boundary. It has been on my top to-do list to improve for 2019 and worth reading a number of times. It will provide guidelines for portfolio management, risk management, and spotting bubbles and pops. In addition to this, it also speaks on crypto exchanges, wallets, and our favorite, ICOs. Highly recommended for some technical analysis.
3. The Truth Machine by Michael J. Casey — This book is similar to the first recommendation in that it speaks on the role that blockchain technology plays in moving today’s world. I’ve included this one because it focuses on the important of security and privacy. One of blockchain’s biggest value add is its ability to improve both security and privacy in a way that was not possible a decade ago. Consumers data privacy and Facebook has been one of the biggest headlines of 2018. This book will provide an understanding of how that can change very soon.
4. How Money Got Free by Brian Patrick Eha —I regard myself as an early adopter and believer in crypto. But some of the first pioneers that really pushed cryptocurrency to the scene now were “cryptographers, hackers, Free Staters, ex-cons and drug dealers, teenage futurists and self-taught entrepreneurs.” It will go in detail about these first users and how the fight continues today on a larger scale with traditional institutions that are threatened by this global movement. A relevant debate clip to prelude this book would be an interview with Erik Voorhees, CEO at Shapeshift, and Peter Schiff, CEO at Euro Pacific Capital.
5. The Business Blockchain: Promise, Practice, and Application of the Next Internet Technology by William Mougayar — Crypto and blockchain is a difficult technology for one to say they have a full complete understanding of it. I need refreshers all the time and this book is the best one I’ve found that goes step by step for beginners. He also goes into the current market trends and what to look for. Highly recommend —
6. Last but not least, the bible of bitcoin — the whitepaper for bitcoin written by Satoshi Nakamoto. It’s very short and sweet. And literally the words from the anonymous creator of bitcoin. It’s very technically but worth trying to grasp as much by doing some side research while reading.

Hope this has provides a good starting point for those in or interested in cryptocurrency. Let me know if you have personal favorites because book recommendations are always welcome!