<p><strong>REGARDING TEXTBOOKS ONLY:</strong></p>

<p>The best one is <code>Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies</code> by Narayanan &amp; Bonneau et al. 
You can get a draft version for free from <a href="https://d28rh4a8wq0iu5.cloudfront.net/bitcointech/readings/princeton_bitcoin_book.pdf?a=1" rel="nofollow">Arvind Narayanan's blog</a>.</p>

<p>The one by Andreas M. Antonopoulos, <a href="http://chimera.labs.oreilly.com/books/1234000001802/index.html" rel="nofollow">Mastering Bitcoin</a> is good too. </p>

<p>Roger Wattenhofer &amp; Christian Decker et al also wrote a nice one called "<em>The Science of the Blockchain</em>" about blockchains in general. </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-24T15:37:20.957Z
2016-10-24T18:11:11.140Z
2016-10-24T18:11:11.140Z
smatthewenglish
<p>Can you please nominate a proper textbook about Bitcoin that covers the cryptographic tools utilized in Bitcoin?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-24T15:45:59.913Z
@Jestin I'm not really after the source code, I'm looking for the tools and background of bitcoin instead.
user153465
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-10-24T15:52:28.177Z
I still recommend what the answer there says.  The Princeton Bitcoin Book is great, and so is Mastering Bitcoin, but remember that they are both outdated.  The source code is really the definitive documentation to how Bitcoin works.  That's why they call it a "reference client".
Jestin
<introducing-bitcoin><bitcoin-literature>
Which textbook provides the best introduction to Bitcoin?
user153465
# Which textbook provides the best introduction to Bitcoin?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-10-24)

Can you please nominate a proper textbook about Bitcoin that covers the cryptographic tools utilized in Bitcoin?

**Tags:** introducing-bitcoin, bitcoin-literature

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: @username_1 I'm not really after the source code, I'm looking for the tools and background of bitcoin instead.  
> **username_1**: I still recommend what the answer there says.  The Princeton Bitcoin Book is great, and so is Mastering Bitcoin, but remember that they are both outdated.  The source code is really the definitive documentation to how Bitcoin works.  That's why they call it a "reference client".  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2016-10-24. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

**REGARDING TEXTBOOKS ONLY:**

The best one is `Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Technologies` by Narayanan & Bonneau et al.
You can get a draft version for free from [Arvind Narayanan's blog](https://d28rh4a8wq0iu5.cloudfront.net/bitcointech/readings/princeton_bitcoin_book.pdf?a=1).

The one by Andreas M. Antonopoulos, [Mastering Bitcoin](http://chimera.labs.oreilly.com/books/1234000001802/index.html) is good too.

Roger Wattenhofer & Christian Decker et al also wrote a nice one called "*The Science of the Blockchain*" about blockchains in general.


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