A Brief History of Bitcoin Books and Publishing

Inspiration and prediction (pre-2008)

Before the first official publication, dozens of thinkers, cryptographers, and authors laid the foundations for what would become bitcoin.

1871 — Carl Menger publishes The Principles of Economics, founding the Austrian school of economics.
Reason to read: grasp the foundational concepts of subjective value and marginal utility, which revolutionized economic thought.

1949 — Human Action: A Treatise on Economics. Using a basis of praxeology, Ludwig von Mises argues that the free-market economy will outlive any government-planned system and will serve as the foundation of civilization itself.
Reason to read: delve into the comprehensive exposition of praxeology, the deductive study of human action as the foundation of all economic phenomena.

1957 — Ayn Rand publishes Atlas Shrugged. The character of John Galt fights against the collectivist social and economic structure depicted in the novel. The seed of fighting oppressive economic systems is sown.
Reason to read: passionate defense of individualism and laissez-faire capitalism through a compelling, albeit lengthy, fictional narrative.

1984 — Economist Friedrich Hayek says in an interview, “I don’t believe that we should ever have good money again before we take the thing out of the hands of government… All we can do is, in some sly roundabout way, introduce something they can’t stop”.

1988 — Timothy C. May writes The Crypto Anarchist Manifesto.
Reason to read: a piece of history you can read in 2 minutes. The essay explains that new encrypted exchanges will ensure total anonymity, total freedom of speech, and total freedom to trade.

1993 — A Cypherpunk’s Manifesto is published.
Reason to read: understand the early philosophical and technological arguments for using cryptography to protect individual privacy and foster online freedom.

1994 — The Creature from Jekyll Island by Edward G. Griffin released. This history and exposé of the Federal Reserve has become one of the best-selling books in its category of all time. Reason to read: Uncover the layered lies of the fiat system and build your ability to explain where money comes from.

1996 — Twelve years before Bitcoin was created, the NSA published the white paper How to Make a Mint: The Cryptography of Anonymous Electronic Cash.

1997 — The Sovereign Individual by James Dale Davidson and Lord William Rees-Mogg is published. The book (non-fiction) forecasts the development of the twenty-first century, focusing on the rise of the internet and cyberspace, digital currency and digital economy, self-ownership and decentralization from the State.
Reason to read: gain a provocative perspective on how technological advancements will reshape society, empowering individuals and challenging the authority of nation-states.

1999 — Neal Stephenson publishes Cryptonomicon, a novel about cryptographers creating digital currency.
Reason to read: enjoy a thrilling and intellectually stimulating blend of historical fiction, cryptography, computer science, and economic theory spanning World War II and the modern digital age.

2007 — A Lodging of Wayfaring Men by Paul Rosenberg is published. The story outlines the struggle of freedom seekers setting up a digital free market who are constantly on the run from FBI agents aiming to shut it down.
Reason to read: explore a compelling narrative likely delving into themes of freedom, self-reliance, taxation, and free markets.

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The Cypherpunks (2008-14)

In the first years of bitcoin, traditional publishers did not commission works on the nascent technology. Early writings were published by tech enthusiasts and the cypherpunks maintaining the network.

October 2008 — Satoshi Nakamoto publishes the Bitcoin White Paper. Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System
Reason to read: While slightly technical, there is no substitute for reading the original. Understanding the white paper helps you engage in deep discussion about how bitcoin works and to comment on Satoshi’s intentions with it.

January 2009 — Hal Finney publishes the first bitcoin tweet - “Running Bitcoin”

2009 — Bitcoin garners 83 mentions in academic papers published that year. This rises to 424 by 2012 (Source: Google Scholar).

July 2011 — Self-published books begin to appear on Amazon. The first example with any reviews and verified purchases is What You Need To Know About Bitcoins by Marcos Sausilitos.

May 2012 - Bitcoin Magazine Issue 1 is published.

September 2012 — Bitcoin Book by Pierre Noizat (published in French) becomes the first significant non-English publication.
Reason to read: revisit an accessible introduction to the technical, economic, and philosophical underpinnings of Bitcoin from an early European advocate.

July 2013 — Charles Stross’s science fiction novel Neptune’s Brood becomes the first fiction to mention bitcoin by name.

June 2014 — The Book of Satoshi by Phil Champagne is published. This book compiles the complete writings of the creator of bitcoin in his two years of online activity.
Reason to Read: gain direct insight into the foundational thinking and original writings of the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin.

Early Adopters (2014-2019)

Bitcoin enthusiasts and visionary economists found ways to inform the bitcoin community and the wider public about Satoshi’s discovery and its significance for the world.

July 2014 — Mastering Bitcoin by Andreas Antonopoulos is published. The book provides a deep understanding of how Bitcoin and blockchain work.
Reason to read: probably the most important work from a legendary speaker and advocate in the bitcoin space.

November 2014 — Unbound publishes the first crowdfunded book about bitcoin — Bitcoin: The Future of Money? By comedian Dominic Frisby
Reason to read: An entertaining but informative look at early bitcoin from a mainstream figure. Pick up a piece of early bitcoin history for your bookshelf.

September 2015 — peer-reviewed cryptocurrencies academic journal ‘Ledger’ (University of Pittsburgh) is announced.

May 2016 — Digital Gold: Bitcoin and the Inside Story of the Misfits and Millionaires Trying to Reinvent Money (Harper Paperbacks). Nathaniel Popper authored the first mainstream history of bitcoin.
Reason to read: Learn more about the eccentric individuals and cypherpunk heroes who drove the early development of Bitcoin

May 2016 — The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047 is published by HarperCollins. The bestselling sci-finance dystopia novel briefly mentions bitcoin.
Reason to read: this sharp, albeit bleak, look at how a family navigates financial dystopia will force you to consider the importance of community and adaptation in times of crisis.

July 2016 — Researchers published a paper showing that by November 2013, bitcoin commerce had been driven by legitimate enterprises.

August 2016 — The Internet of Money: (Volume 1) is released. This book is a collection of talks by Andreas M. Antonopoulos. Volume 2 was published in 2017 and volume 3 in 2019.
Reason to read: this book includes the legendary BubbleBoy and Sewer Rat talk (Watch it now if you haven’t)

March 2018 — Saifedean Ammous’s The Bitcoin Standard is published by Wiley. The book has sold over one million copies.
Reason to read: The best-known and most popular book on bitcoin.

January 21st, 2019 — The world’s first Bitcoin publishing house is established - Konsensus Network

What started as a simple service to founder Niko Laamanen’s local community soon gathered momentum as new ‘starfish’ emerged from all corners of the globe to contribute to the mission and spread the ideas of freedom. Together, they make important information accessible to all.
Today, there are dozens of starfish contributing to the network, allowing Konsensus to publish translated works, original titles, and help bitcoiners produce and self-publish their proof of work.

March 2019 — Bitcoin Money: A Tale of Bitville Discovering Good Money is published by Muchael Caras. It’s an entertaining children’s book, but it is actually designed to orange-pill the parents.

Reason to read: a great gift for other parents who haven’t understood the need for bitcoin yet.

May 2019 — Bitcoin: Sovereignty through mathematics by Knut Svanholm launches the era of the bitcoin philosopher. The book ponders bitcoin’s implications to human action through a mathematically immutable ledger of truth — the timechain.
Reason to read: Widely considered as one of the best introductions to bitcoin philosophy.

June 2019 — Digital Cash is published by Princeton University Press. In the book, Finn Brunton documents the fascinating untold story of digital cash and its creators — from experiments in the 1970s to the mania over Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Reason to read: read about the experiments and failures that led to workable P2P electronic cash.

September 2019 — Konsensus Network publishes The Bitcoin Standard (Bitcoin-standardi) in Finnish. It has since been translated into 38 languages. Increased focus on translation has been key to orange-pilling millions of non-English speakers around the world.

April 2019 — The popular technical manual Grokking Bitcoin, written by Kalle Rosenbaum, is published.
Reason to read: The book is widely viewed as the best technical explanation of bitcoin while remaining accessible.

June 2019 — Inventing Bitcoin: The Technology Behind the First Truly Scarce and Decentralized Money Explained, published by Yan Pritzker.
Reason to read**:** to date, by far the most accessible, yet complete explanation of how bitcoin works.

Leaders and Specialists (2019-2021)

In this era, books developed from ‘What is bitcoin?’ to cover more specialized topics — mining, investing, etc. Several key thinkers emerged, going on to become the mainstay of bitcoin podcasts and conferences.

March 2019 — Programming Bitcoin by Jimmy Song was released
Reason to read: See “how the sausage is made”: You’ll gain an intimate understanding of how Bitcoin works at a code level, demystifying the technology.

August 2019 — Release of The Little Bitcoin Book: Why Bitcoin Matters for Your Freedom, Finances, and Future, a pocket guide compiled from the work of several authors.
Reason to read: the book offers a non-technical perspective: it focuses on the socio-economic aspects of Bitcoin rather than the intricate technical details.

December 2019 — 21 Lessons: What I’ve Learned from Falling Down the Bitcoin Rabbit Hole published by Gigi.
Reason to read: A thought-provoking exploration of Bitcoin’s significance from a revered creative philosopher.

January 2020 — Jeff Booth publishes The Price of Tomorrow: Why Deflation is the Key to an Abundant Future
Reason to read: Challenge your assumptions about traditional economics and grasp the benefits of deflationary money.

February 2020 — Cryptoeconomics: The Fundamental Principles of Bitcoin, released by Eric Voskiul.
Reason to read: Heralded to date as the quintessential framework for the axioms that make bitcoin work.

May 2020 — Bitcoin Clarity: The Complete Beginner’s Guide to Understanding by Kiara Bickers is published.
Reason to read: it’s in the title. A complete beginner’s guide.

April 2020 — Citadel 21 Issue 1 published by Hodlonaut in collaboration with Konsensus Network, signalling the rise of bitcoin culture and publications by plebs for plebs. In Issue 4 (July 2020), Selfbankt and Josh Cranton publish the first bitcoin graphic novel 21ism.

November 2020 — Thank God for Bitcoin: The Creation, Corruption and Redemption of Money published by the Bitcoin and Bible Group, expanding to yet another niche in the niche. Praised by non-religious readers for its based and fresh perspectives into why bitcoin speaks to everyone.
Reason to read: if you are a believer, this book is for you. It argues from a faith-based perspective that Bitcoin is a morally sound solution to the corruption of fiat money.

January 2021 — Layered Money: From Gold and Dollars to Bitcoin and Central Bank Digital Currencies by Nik Bhathia is published.
Reason to read: often described as the best historical and analytical framework for understanding the evolution of money.

March 2021 — The first comprehensive history book detailing the struggle for control over bitcoin’s protocol is published. The Blocksize War by Jonathan Bier examines the pivotal battle of 2015-17 that demonstrated the miners don’t run the show, and neither do influencers. It’s the node runners.
Reason to read: grasp the importance of protecting bitcoin’s base layer protocol.

May 2021 — Vijay Boyaparti publishes The Bullish Case for Bitcoin, a feel-good treatise of NGU-tech for the ages.
Reason to read: a concise and compelling argument for Bitcoin’s long-term value proposition as a scarce, digital store of value.

April 2021 — Children’s book, Goodnight Bitcoin, is published by Scott and Mallory Sibley. This book spawns a game, toys, and other books to further include children in Bitcoin publishing.
Reason to read: a bedtime story format for beginners of all ages.

November 2021 — Mastering the Lightning Network by M. Antonopoulos, René Pickhardt, and Olaoluwa Osuntokun is published. The book describes the Lightning Network (LN), a Peer-to-Peer protocol running on top of Bitcoin and other blockchains, which provides near-instant, secure, micro-payments.
Reason to read: move your bitcoin knowledge from the base level to Layer 2.

December 2021 — La Filosofía de Bitcoin by Álvaro D. María is published in Spanish.
Reason to read: explore the philosophical underpinnings of Bitcoin in a work that took the Spanish-speaking world by storm.

Mass Adoption — 2022-2025

Mainstream publishers have joined the fray as the world begins to grasp the importance of bitcoin.

March 2022 — Bitcoin is Venice by Allen Farrington and Sacha Meyers is published by BTC Media (later open-sourced). All profits from the book are donated to the Human Rights Foundation.
Reason to read: learn to view bitcoin as a robust and decentralized system built on sound principles that can withstand the test of time and external pressures, just like the historically resilient and influential city-state.

Check Your Financial Privilege by Alex Gladstein is published by Bitcoin Magazine, kickstarting the era of political bitcoin books.
Reason to read: critically examine your own financial advantages and how these privileges shape their experiences and perspectives in a world marked by economic inequality.

April 2022 — Bitcoin: A Work in Progress by Sjors Provoost is published. The book offers insight into ongoing Bitcoin Core development by one of its active contributors.
Reason to read: this is one of the few developer-oriented books in the bitcoin space.

August 2022 — What Is Money? The Saylor Series released by Robert Breedlove. This innovative book is based on several podcast conversations with the CEO of Strategy and bitcoin advocate Michael Saylor.
Reason to read: a comprehensive and often passionate exploration of the fundamental nature of money.

September 2022 — FractalEncrypt illustrates Dhruv Bansal’s Bitcoin Astronomy into a 132-page graphic novel, The Timechain Codex. Edited by Tomer Strolight.
Reason to read: a groundbreaking transformation of a thought-provoking essay into graphic form.

November 2022 — Bitcoin Kids comic series launched. Author Nzonda Fotsing
Wrote the comic ‘out of a sheer desire to create a financially stable future for his 3-year-old son.
Reason to read: for parents wanting to share bitcoin ideals with little ones.

December 2022 — Gradually, then Suddenly published by Parker Lewis.
Reason to read: grasp how adoption will play out.

February 2023 — Jason Paul Lowery’s Softwar: A Novel Theory on Power Projection and the National Strategic Significance of Bitcoin published by MIT.
Reason to read: a geopolitical perspective.

April 2023 — Why Bitcoin is published by Tomer Strolight, paving the way for bitcoin coffee table books with its premium photo paper and luxurious hard cover.
Reason to read: orange-pill your house guests with this beauty.

May 2023 — Ioni Appelberg publishes Abundance Through Scarcity — a narrative presentation of monetary history and consciousness.
Reason to read: for readers who connect emotionally with flowing prose and lyrical narrative.

August 2023 — Broken Money by Lyn Alden published. It has become a go-to book for those wanting to delve deep into the reasons our fiat monetary system is flawed. The book has sold widely and has been translated into 20+ languages.
Reason to read: a well-researched and insightful critique of the existing financial order, plus a clear, economically grounded argument for Bitcoin’s potential as a superior monetary asset.

Simplified full color graphic reference book, The Bitcoin Handbook by Anil Patel released.
Reason to read: Anil is known for his unique ability to condense and simplify complex topics into one or two pages with illustrations.

Cryptosovereignty published by Erik Cason.
Reason to read: understand the maxi arguments for how cryptography and decentralized technologies can empower individuals with greater control over their data, identity, and financial resources, leading to a form of digital sovereignty.

November 2023 — The first long-form book of fiction on bitcoin, 24, is launched by Avi Burra. The sats bounty hidden in the book (a clue-based treasure hunt) was claimed in 2024.
Reason to read: a thrilling narrative with a puzzle that will keep you occupied until part 2 is released.

December 2023 — The world’s first bitcoin fiction anthology 21 Futures: Tales from the Timechain released with the mission to expose the general population to bitcoin ideas via interesting stories. After all, most people read fiction instead of non-fiction.
Reason to read: 21 ‘what-ifs’ about the future of bitcoin woven into fascinating and compelling stories. The place to start if you want to explore bitcoin fiction.

January 2024 — The Genesis Book: The Story of the People and Projects That Inspired Bitcoin by Aaron van Wirdum released.
Reason to read: the book chronicles the diverse individuals and intellectual movements that laid the groundwork and inspired the creation of Bitcoin.

Die größte Revolution aller Zeiten (The greatest revolution of all time) published in German. Together with financial strategist Florian Kössler, six-time Spiegel bestselling author Marc Friedrich shows you in his latest book why our current monetary system is doomed to failure and how you can still save your assets.
Reason to read: a powerful how-to based on German markets.

February 2024 — The Atlas Maneuver, a bitcoin thriller by Steve Berry becomes a fiction bestseller.
Reason to read: for fans of action-packed thrillers with historical conspiracies.

March 2024 — Bitcoin Development Philosophy by Kalle and Linnéa Rosenbaum is released as a follow-up to Grokking Bitcoin.
Reason to read: developers can better grasp the core principles and values that guide the ongoing evolution and maintenance of the Bitcoin protocol.

June 2024 — Would Mao Hold Bitcoin?: The Past, Present and Future of Bitcoin in Techno-Nationalist China by Roger Huang is published by Bitcoin Magazine.
Reason to read: a fresh perspective contributing to the growing list of bitcoin politics books.

Mieses Geld by Harald and Bettina Betz is published in German by Aprycot Media. This fiction thriller tells the story of monetary theorist Marc Kröger and his fight against a radical dictatorship drunk on the power of the Digital Euro.
Reason to read: The Digital Euro is becoming a (dystopian) reality in October 2025. Watch out for the English publication of this popular thriller.

Resistance Money published by Routledge. Andrew M. Bailey, Bradley Rettler, Craig Warmke explain how bitcoin isn’t just for criminals, speculators, or wealthy Silicon Valley entrepreneurs – despite what the headlines say.
Reason to read: grasp the need for financial resistance against state control, censorship, and traditional financial systems.

February 2025 — Lawrence Lepard publishes The Big Print.
Reason to read: a personal and level-headed account of a legendary financier who has seen the booms and busts of the fiat system. Larry explains why he is a bitcoiner and why you should be too. Great for converting trad-fi believers.

March 2025 — Bitcoin Age by Nik Bhatia is released.
Reason to read: understand the path towards $1m bitcoin.

April 2025 — Saifedean Ammous releases The Gold Standard (historical fiction).
Reason to read: a vivid historical ‘what-if’ which draws parallels with the bitcoin standard still to come.

June 2025 — Principles of Bitcoin: Technology, Economics, Politics, and Philosophy is published by Columbia Business School.
Reason to read: a comprehensive exploration of Bitcoin for the academically-minded.

The Future (2026—

As we move towards a future where bitcoin ceases to become ‘exciting technology’ and moves towards global adoption as money, we will see fewer books specifically ‘about’ bitcoin.

We may see more bitcoin films funded, and the future of bitcoin fiction certainly looks bright, with a slew of names scheduled to publish in the genre — Ammous, Alden, Burra, and more short fiction from 21 Futures.

Another development may be ‘Bitcoin+’, books which pair the transformative powers of Bitcoin with topics like education, sport, logistics, agriculture, philosophy, spirituality or health.

Finally, as bitcoin enters a battle for freedom with fiat governments and nation-states, we will see a greater focus on freedom literature, in terms of technology, politics, and self-sovereignty.

Thank you to all of the authors and readers who devote their time to the development of bitcoin.

If you would like to submit an important bitcoin publication for inclusion in this timeline, please get in touch.

*Source: Poll of 8,000 followers on X.