Bitcoin, Blockchain, and Cryptoassets: A Comprehensive Introduction

by Fabian Schar, Aleksander Berentsen

An introduction to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology; a guide for practitioners and students.Bitcoin and blockchain enable the ownership of virtual property without the need for a central authority. Additionally, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies make up an entirely new class of assets that have the potential for fundamental change in the current financial system. This book offers an introduction to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology that begins from the perspective of monetary economics.

The book first presents a nontechnical discussion of monetary theory, enabling readers to understand how cryptocurrencies are a radical departure from existing monetary instruments, and provides an overview of blockchain technology and the Bitcoin system. It then takes up technical aspects of Bitcoin in more detail, covering such topics as the Bitcoin network, its communications protocol, the mathematics underpinning decentralized validation, transaction types, the data structure of blocks, the proof-of-work consensus mechanism, and game theory. Finally, the book discusses specific issues and applications, including price volatility, regulatory uncertainty, and central bank cryptocurrencies, as well as such alternative applications as decentralized verification and attestation, tokens, and smart contracts. The concluding chapter offers practical advice on getting started with Bitcoin. End-of-chapter exercises allow readers to test their knowledge. Bitcoin, Blockchain, and Cryptoassets is suitable for classroom use and as a reference for practitioners.

277 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2020

Reviews

[Warren Mcpherson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers a variety of bitcoin-related topics.

It has a rigid style that feels like reading notes someone wrote for themselves.

There is a detailed description of elliptic curve algebra as a sub-section. This was pretty well done, simple enough to understand but with enough accurate detail to be useful. If you want to benefit from this it is important to be prepared to slow down for this section.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half. A good introduction to Bitcoin and blockchain technology, though very heavily focused on Bitcoin. Its also quite detailed, with about a third of the book dedicated to technical aspects of Bitcoin and blockchain, including the underlying mathematics supporting security, code, and transaction elements. I personally would have liked to have seen more projections and discussion about the social implications of various cryptoassets, but also, I shouldn't be looking for that from an MIT Press run, likely.

[Gregory Head]

Thank you for sharing this very informative book. It's fantastic that so much blockchain information and advice is now freely available. This is especially relevant for me, and I recently discovered a web3 app developer. This is a necessary measure for me to do everything correctly and successfully complete my goals.

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's likely crypto is the future, definitely worth knowing about and he does a good job explaining it.