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Books

A curated collection of essential Bitcoin books covering technology, economic principles, cypherpunk philosophy, history, and monetary theory.

Glossary

Featured Books

The Bitcoin Standard
The Bitcoin Standard

Saifedean Ammous 2018 analysis of Bitcoin through the lens of Austrian economics and monetary history, arguing Bitcoin is the best form of sound money.

economicsmonetary-theoryhistory
2018
Mastering Bitcoin
Mastering Bitcoin

Andreas Antonopoulos technical guide to the Bitcoin protocol, cryptography, and development, the standard reference for developers building on Bitcoin.

technicaldevelopmentprotocol
2014
The Blocksize War
The Blocksize War

Jonathan Bier account of the 2015-2017 Bitcoin blocksize debate, documenting the intense technical and political battle over Bitcoin future direction.

historygovernanceprotocol
2021
Bitcoin Whitepaper
Bitcoin Whitepaper

Satoshi Nakamoto nine-page paper from October 2008 introducing Bitcoin as a peer-to-peer electronic cash system without relying on trusted third parties.

whitepaperprotocolcryptographyfoundational
2008
The Internet of Money
The Internet of Money

Andreas Antonopoulos collected talks explaining why Bitcoin matters, covering its social, political, and economic implications for the world unbanked.

philosophyeconomicsadoptiontalks
2016
Mastering the Lightning Network
Mastering the Lightning Network

Technical guide by Antonopoulos, Osuntokun, and Pickhardt covering the Lightning Network protocol, payment channels, and practical implementation details.

technicallightningdevelopmentprotocol
2021
Broken Money
Broken Money

Lyn Alden 2023 analysis of the global monetary system structural flaws and how Bitcoin offers a credible path toward sound money in the digital age.

economicsmonetary-theorymacrohistory
2023
The Fiat Standard
The Fiat Standard

Saifedean Ammous follow-up to The Bitcoin Standard, analyzing the fiat monetary system mechanics and long-term consequences for human civilization.

economicsmonetary-theoryfiatcriticism
2021
Digital Gold
Digital Gold

Nathaniel Popper 2015 narrative history of Bitcoin tracing it from cypherpunk origins through its first major boom via the figures who built the network.

historynarrativejournalismearly-bitcoin
2015
Bit Gold
Bit Gold

Nick Szabo 1998 proposal for decentralized digital currency using proof-of-work, widely regarded as the most direct architectural precursor to Bitcoin.

whitepaperprotocolcryptographyfoundational+1
1998
b-money
b-money

Wei Dai 1998 proposal for decentralized anonymous digital cash, the first reference in the Bitcoin whitepaper and a key precursor to Bitcoin design.

whitepaperprotocolcryptographyfoundational+1
1998

Books

A curated collection of essential Bitcoin books covering technology, economic principles, cypherpunk philosophy, history, and monetary theory.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bitcoin Wiki is a curated knowledge base that maps the Bitcoin ecosystem across six categories: organizations, open-source projects, key people, essential books, communities, and events. It helps newcomers and researchers navigate the people and projects shaping Bitcoin.
The Organizations section covers companies and foundations building Bitcoin infrastructure — from Lightning Labs and Blockstream to exchanges like Coinbase and Bitstamp, and corporate adopters like Strategy. Each entry includes founding date, headquarters, key people, and relationships to other wiki entries.
The Projects section covers open-source software and protocols powering Bitcoin, including Bitcoin Core (the reference implementation), Lightning Network (layer-2 scaling), BTCPay Server (self-hosted payment processing), and more. Each entry links to repositories, contributors, and related organizations.
The People section profiles individuals who have shaped Bitcoin's history — from Satoshi Nakamoto and Hal Finney to developers like Adam Back and Nicolas Dorier, educators like Andreas Antonopoulos and Lyn Alden, and entrepreneurs like Jack Mallers and Elizabeth Stark.
The Books section features essential Bitcoin reading, including The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous, Mastering Bitcoin by Andreas Antonopoulos, The Blocksize War by Jonathan Bier, Broken Money by Lyn Alden, and the original Bitcoin Whitepaper by Satoshi Nakamoto.
The Communities section highlights Bitcoin meetups and local groups like La Crypta. The Events section covers major conferences including Bitcoin 2024, Baltic Honeybadger, and Adopting Bitcoin. Both sections help you find and connect with the Bitcoin community worldwide.
Yes! We welcome contributions from the Bitcoin community. You can suggest new articles, corrections, or improvements through our contact form or by contributing directly to our open-source repository on GitHub.