Inventing Bitcoin by Yan Pritzker
A clear, short beginner's guide to how Bitcoin works, light on depth by design.
The short version
- Beginners who want to know how Bitcoin actually works
- People who want to understand the technology before buying any
- Readers who prefer a short book over a textbook
- You already understand mining and proof of work
- You want investing guidance or price analysis
- You want code level technical depth
What owners like
- Clear, plain explanations of ideas that are usually hard to follow
- Short enough to finish in a sitting or two
- Explains proof of work and mining better than most introductions
Common complaints
- Some sections still take effort and jump between concepts
- Too brief for readers who want depth
- A few readers question the author's confident view of Bitcoin's future
Based on Reader reviews on Goodreads, the author's book site and the publisher description carried by ThriftBooks.
Research scores
Scored from the maker's specs and what owners report. Drew's own notes and photos will refine these.
Ownership
Drew's hands-on notes for this product are on the way. Long-term updates will be added to this timeline.
What it does
A short, nontechnical book that explains how Bitcoin works by walking through the problems its inventor had to solve, one step at a time.
- Builds Bitcoin up from scratch, starting with the double spending problem
- Covers proof of work, mining, consensus, difficulty adjustment and block rewards
- Also touches on forks, unspent transaction outputs and wallets
- Written for readers with no technical background
- Stays on the technology rather than price predictions or investment strategy
- Author co-founded Reverb.com and served as its CTO before turning to Bitcoin education
A good first book for anyone who wants to understand the mechanics of Bitcoin, such as mining, proof of work and the shared ledger, without a programming background. It is deliberately brief and sticks to the technology, so readers after economics, investing advice or deep technical detail will need a second book.
How it compares
Specs
- Author
- Yan Pritzker, illustrated by Nicholas Evans
- Publisher
- Independently published
- Published
- June 2019
- Pages
- 106 (paperback)
- Reading time
- About two hours, per the book's description
- ISBN
- 1794326316 (9781794326316)
- Formats
- Paperback, Kindle and audiobook
- Translations
- Spanish and French editions
Questions
How long is Inventing Bitcoin?
The paperback runs 106 pages, and the book describes itself as about a two hour read.
Do I need a technical background to read it?
No. It is written for readers with no technical expertise.
Is Inventing Bitcoin about investing?
No. It explains the technology and leaves economics and investment questions to other books, such as The Bitcoin Standard.
Is there an audiobook?
Yes. The author's site lists paperback, Kindle and audiobook editions, plus Spanish and French translations.
Sources
- Inventing Bitcoin: author's book site
- Goodreads: Inventing Bitcoin by Yan Pritzker
- ThriftBooks: Inventing Bitcoin
- Amazon.com: Inventing Bitcoin (paperback)
Researched 2026-10-02. We bought this product; our page is built from the maker's details and what owners report across reviews and forums. We never copy Amazon customer reviews.