I have collected some links that I believe can help those stackers who are just beginning their bitcoin journey. I hope some of you find them useful.
Please add your comments and suggestions by replying to this post.
Table Of Contents
The White Paper
Anyone who wants to learn about bitcoin should start by reading the white paper. You may not understand everything in it yet (I still don’t), but you will get an understanding of Satoshi Nakamoto’s vision in his own words. It is a good starting point on your long journey.
Books
Nuts & Bolts
The Bitcoin Standard, by Saifedean Ammous
This book is considered by many to be the best explanation of bitcoin ever published. Some may find the author's opinions off putting, particularly in areas that have nothing to do with bitcoin. Don’t let that stop you from learning from this excellent source of information.
Broken Money, by Lyn Alden.
This is a classic. It is a great book to read if you want to learn about bitcoin. Just be advised that it’s a very long book, and I think it’s more challenging than the Bitcoin Standard. It is certainly worth the time and effort.
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 brilliant teacher. He can explain bitcoin in an understandable way for the beginner, but can also explain the technical intricacies.
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. Gig turned a series of articles he wrote into a book. He has his own writing style. You will learn a lot from the book.
Bitcoin History
The Genesis Book, by Aaron Van Wirdum
This is a very well written, engaging pre-history of bitcoin. Van Wirdum covers the origins of money, the Austrian school of economics, twentieth century geopolitics, the anarchic origins of hacker culture and the FOSS ethos, and the cryptographic advances of the cypherpunks.
Digital Gold, by Nathaniel Popper
This book is a history of bitcoin, rather than a book written to teach you about bitcoin. It is very entertaining, and you will learn a lot along the way.
Bitcoin Circular Economies, by Gabriel Kurman and Ivan Kaleja
This is a quick, enjoyable history of bitcoin circular economies, starting with Bitcoin Beach in El Salvador. I highly recommend it, particularly if you believe, as I do, that bitcoin needs to grow from the ground up.
Videos
I was familiar with Khan Academy since my daughter sometimes watched their videos when she was in school. I found this one recommended online. As is typical, Khan Academy does a great job of explaining bitcoin in a clear, understandable way to the complete newbie. This video is a high level look at bitcoin, but Khan Academy has a whole series of high quality bitcoin videos.
I can listen to Andreas M. Antonopolous all day, and you can throw a dart at all his videos and randomly watch one and still learn a lot. This is an early talk he gave where he explains bitcoin in a broad, non technical way. Unfortunately, he’s sitting in the middle of a table of people eating lunch, so the audio contains the sounds of other people eating and chatting.
Web Sites
Jameson Lopp’s website is an incredible resource for people interested in learning about bitcoin at any level. Beginners should go to his Getting Started With Bitcoin page.
A massive trove of information about bitcoin and related topics. You will find what you’re looking for here. Bravo, Shadowy Curator Man.
DarthCoin Guides
DarthCoin Guides are legendary for providing step by step instruction in just about any area a new bitcoiner might need help with. Start with these guides first if you are having a problem with an app or wallet.
Here is a link to DarthCoin’s Substack Page, where you can find all of DarthCoin’s guides:
https://learnmeabitcoin.com
https://opcodeexplained.com
https://lightning.network/docs
(complementary to Bitcoin whitepaper)