Top 11 Best Crypto Books You Should Read in 2025 for Mastery

Crypto is an exciting, disruptive financial system unlike anything the world has ever seen. It is decentralized, democratized, and enjoys little oversight from regulators and governments. And given its relatively recent entry into the limelight, it hasn’t received nearly the same level of academic attention as traditional finance. 

This is partly why crypto books are not the first resource most people consider when learning about cryptocurrencies. Courses, YouTube videos, and/or articles are a more popular way to teach oneself. But this hasn’t stopped various crypto experts from taking their time to assemble accumulated knowledge, experience, and expertise into books. 

Thus, a crypto book can be an excellent resource to learn about digital currencies and explore the underlying technology and resulting asset markets. By the last page, a good book will not only sharpen your investing strategies: it will also broaden your technical insights.

Looking for recommendations? Here are 11 of the best books on crypto you can read in 2025 to up your cryptocurrency game. 

1. The Bitcoin Standard by Saifedean Ammous

Book	Author	Year Published	Book Type	Goodreads Rating
The Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking	Saifedean Ammous	2018	Crypto economics	4.17

The Bitcoin Standard is an analysis by economist Saifedean Ammous that examines the history of money to argue that Bitcoin represents a new form of sound money. Published in 2018, it has become a seminal text in the crypto community

Reviews note that it provides a rigorous economic framework for understanding Bitcoin. Michael Saylor, CEO of MicroStrategy, writes in a foreword that the book “provided the holistic economic framework” he needed to “interpret the macroeconomic forces shaping our world.” 

It is often described as required reading and even life-changing. Readers praise its clear argument for Bitcoin’s role as a hard-money alternative to fiat currency. 

2. Cryptoassets: The Innovative Investor’s Guide to Bitcoin and Beyond

Book	Author(s)	Year Published	Book Type	Goodreads Rating
Cryptoassets: The Innovative Investor’s Guide to Bitcoin and Beyond	Chris Burniske & Jack Tatar	2017	Investment guide	3.92

Cryptoassets is a broad investment guide to cryptocurrencies and blockchain-based assets. It was written by analysts Chris Burniske and Jack Tatar and covers the history, evolution, and valuation of cryptoassets. 

The book provides a well-organized framework for understanding and investing in crypto. It teaches how to analyze and value cryptoassets, making it a one-stop shop to learn everything, from the history of digital assets to valuation techniques and investment tips.

3. Mastering Bitcoin: Unlocking Digital Cryptocurrencies

Book	Author(s)	Year Published	Book Type	Goodreads Rating
Mastering Bitcoin: Unlocking Digital Cryptocurrencies	Andreas M. Antonopoulos	2014 (2nd ed. 2017)	Technical guide	4.30

Mastering Bitcoin by Andreas Antonopoulos is a technical reference on how Bitcoin works. It provides an in-depth explanation of Bitcoin’s architecture, including cryptography, network protocols, transactions, and security. It also covers practical aspects like running wallets and development. 

With clear, detailed coverage of architecture and advanced concepts, the book is highly regarded among developers and engineers. It’s frequently recommended as the definitive technical guide to Bitcoin’s inner mechanics. 

4. Digital Gold by Nathaniel Popper

Book	Author(s)	Year Published	Book Type	Goodreads Rating
Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money	Nathaniel Popper	2015	History / narrative	4.15

Nathaniel Popper’s Digital Gold (2015) is a journalistic history of Bitcoin’s early years that focuses on the personalities behind the technology. It uses a narrative style to trace how Bitcoin’s “nerdy origins” evolved into the phenomenon it is today. 

Online, reviews praise it as entertaining and compelling thanks to its vivid portraits of early adopters, entrepreneurs, and skeptics. It makes Bitcoin’s complex story engaging, giving readers insight into the breakthroughs and skepticism that shaped the asset’s success.

5. The Infinite Machine by Camila Russo

Book	Author	Year Published	Book Type	Goodreads Rating
The Infinite Machine	Camila Russo	2020	History / narrative	4.11

Camila Russo’s The Infinite Machine is a compelling narrative that chronicles the creation and rise of Ethereum, the blockchain platform that introduced smart contracts and kickstarted the DeFi revolution. Drawing on interviews with Vitalik Buterin and the founding team, it explores the vision, the drama, and the innovation behind the platform’s creation. 

The book is praised for its vivid storytelling, with many calling it engaging, informative, and well-researched. It has a perfect mix of technical context and human drama, making it valuable for those interested in the evolution of crypto beyond Bitcoin.

6. The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains by Antony Lewis

Book	Author	Year Published	Book Type	Goodreads Rating
The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains: An Introduction to Cryptocurrencies and the Technology That Powers Them	Antony Lewis	2018	Introductory guide	4.09

Antony Lewis’s Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains is an accessible beginner’s guide to how Bitcoin and blockchain technology work. Published in 2018, it explains the history of Bitcoin, blockchain mechanics, and practical topics like buying, selling, and mining. Experts recommend it for non-technical readers because it covers complex details in a way that newcomers can understand.

7. Layered Money by Nik Bhatia

Book	Author	Year Published	Book Type	Goodreads Rating
Layered Money: From Gold and Dollars to Bitcoin and Central Bank Digital Currencies	Nik Bhatia	2021 (Jan 18)	Economic history & theory	4.30 (1,327 ratings)

In Layered Money, Nik Bhatia explores the evolution of money as a multi-layered system, tracing its history from barter through coins and banknotes to modern digital currencies and central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). 

The book draws on economic history and monetary theory to carefully define each layer’s role and show how Bitcoin is shaping a new top layer of money. Its analysis of emerging CBDCs places it squarely within current financial debates.

8. Bitcoin Billionaires by Ben Mezrich

Book	Author(s)	Year Published	Book Type	GoodreadsRating
Bitcoin Billionaires: A True Story of Genius, Betrayal, and Redemption	Ben Mezrich	2019	Biography / narrative	3.98

Bitcoin Billionaires tells the dramatic story of Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss– former Olympic rowers and Facebook litigants– who reinvented themselves as early Bitcoin pioneers and became the first confirmed Bitcoin billionaires. It chronicles a tale of redemption, ambition, and foresight through the volatility and moral complexity of early crypto ecosystems. 

9. DeFi and the Future of Finance by Campbell R.Harvey

Book	Author(s)	Year Published	Book Type	Goodreads Rating
DeFi and the Future of Finance	Campbell R. Harvey, Ashwin Ramachandran & Joey Santoro	2021	Financial/industry analysis	3.50

This book offers an in-depth look at DeFi, detailing smart contracts, lending, DEXes, stablecoins, and more on blockchains like Ethereum. It breaks down DeFi primitives are replacing traditional finance layers with real-world examples, while giving a balanced view on efficiency improvements and risks.

10. Blockchain Revolution by Don & Alex Tapscott

Book	Author(s)	Year Published	Book Type	Goodreads Rating
Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin Is Changing Money, Business, and the World	Don Tapscott & Alex Tapscott	2016	Technology & business analysis	3.38

This is one of the first mainstream books to explore blockchain applications beyond crypto. Published in 2016, it covers identity, contracts, governance, and IoT. It is widely praised for detailing blockchain’s impact on finance, identity, and business contracts, while clearly distinguishing hype from real-world use cases. 

11. The Book of Satoshi by Phil Champagne

Book	Author	Year Published	Book Type	GoodreadRating
The Book Of Satoshi: The Collected Writings of Bitcoin Creator Satoshi Nakamoto	Phil Champagne	2014 (updated 2nd ed. 2023)	Primary-source compilation	4.08

The Book of Satoshi brings together all public writings (white paper, forum posts, and emails) by Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto alongside editorial commentary. As such, it offers unique and firsthand insight into Bitcoin’s origin, giving readers access to Satoshi’s technical mind and motivations. 

It is an excellent book for understanding the philosophical and foundational aspects of digital currency. 

Learning Should Never Stop

Crypto is a complex and ever-changing landscape. So to succeed, you need all the information you can get, and crypto books have that in plenty. The past decade has seen many insightful books on the history, nature, and workings of blockchain and crypto get published. Most of these are readily available for you to purchase and read online. 

But books alone are not enough. It is good to supplement your learning with other resources, like videos and articles. Dypto Crypto is your go-to platform for learning crypto the easy way. We give you everything you need to make sense of crypto–  browse simple explainers, decode jargon with the Cryptionary, and learn from short-form videos.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best book to start learning about cryptocurrency?

For absolute beginners, The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains by Antony Lewis is ideal. It walks you through the history of Bitcoin, how the blockchain works, and the practicalities of buying, storing, and using crypto. 

All this is done in clear, non‑technical language. Thus, the book has been consistently praised for its clarity and completeness, making it the go‑to launchpad before diving into more economics‑ or investment‑focused titles.

Do I need technical knowledge to read these books?

Depends on the book. Most of these books don’t go too deep into the technical details of crypto and blockchain technology. Some books are even designed for beginners, allowing you to pick one up and start reading without any prior knowledge or experience in the industry. 

Can reading crypto books actually help with investing?

Yes. If you pair them with ongoing market research and risk management. These books will give you a solid framework for valuing tokens, understanding monetary theory, and spotting hype vs. fundamentals. 

They don’t guarantee profits, but they’ll help you avoid common pitfalls and grasp the economic forces that drive price movements. 

Are these books available in audiobook format?

Most of the major titles on this list have audiobook editions. These include The Bitcoin Standard, Digital Gold, The Infinite Machine, Blockchain Revolution, and Cryptoassets. Availability varies by platform, so it’s best to check your preferred audiobook service for the most up‑to‑date listings.