The Bitcoin Guidebook: How to Obtain, Invest, and Spend the World's First Decentralized Cryptocurrency

by Ian DeMartino

Overview

Revised Edition. Bitcoin has made early investors like the Winkelvoss twins millions in a matter of minutes in the past year and has the potential to transform the financial landscape. It's not too late to get in on the action.

Bitcoin is not another payment processor. Like the Internet, Bitcoin is a technology that runs through a distributed network. No one controls it, and no one can shut it down. Bitcoin has been called the currency of the Internet, but it is much more powerful than that. More astute observers have called it the Internet of currency.

This revised edition of The Bitcoin Guidebook has the most up-to-date info and recommended approaches for anyone who doesn't want to be left behind in the next technological revolution. It is an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand guide that explains everything the reader needs to know about how Bitcoin and other digital currencies work, what they can be used for, and how they will shape our society in the future. Topics covered include:

• The digital currency's origins, past, present, and future
• The revolutionary blockchain technology behind Bitcoin, and its future for the industries of music, arts, photography, and more
• How to obtain and invest in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrency
• How and where to spend Bitcoin
• Bitcoin's relationship with the seedy Internet underground
• Alternative digital currencies, like Ethereum, ripple, Litecoin, IOTA or dash
• How governments and financial institutions may react to cryptocurrency in the future
• How to interact with other Bitcoin owners on exchanges like Coinbase

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781510739901
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	12/11/2018
Edition description:	2nd Edition
Pages:	364
Sales rank:	312,834
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Ian DeMartino is the cofounder of CoinJournal and freelance writer for CoinDesk. He worked as a technology writer for various sites before becoming interested in Bitcoin. He lives in Washington, DC.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Keywords xiii

Who's Who xxiii

Section I What is Bitcoin?

Chapter 1 Bitcoin 101: Blockchain Technology 3

Chapter 2 A Practical Guide on How to Buy, Save, and Spend Bitcoins 17

Chapter 3 Precursors, History and Creation, Satoshi's White Paper 23

Chapter 4 Who Runs Bitcoin? 41

Chapter 5 What Gives Bitcoin Its Value? 57

Chapter 6 Bitcoin: Anonymous or Pseudonymous? 75

Chapter 7 Bitcoin and the Criminal Element 95

Chapter 8 Mt. Gox: Bitcoin's Defining Moment? 121

Chapter 9 Other Bitcoin Scams and Common Tactics 139

Section II How to Invest in Bitcoin

Chapter 10 How to Buy Bitcoin with a Bank Account, Cash, or PayPal 171

Chapter 11 Working for Bitcoin 183

Chapter 12 Mining 193

Chapter 13 HODL! 209

Chapter 14 Day Trading 217

Chapter 15 Altcoin Trading and Pump-and-Dumps 227

Chapter 16 Peer-to-Peer Lending 237

Chapter 17 Investing in Other Commodities Using Bitcoin 245

Section III What Can Bitcoin Do For Me?

Chapter 18 Remittance 259

Chapter 19 Microtransactions 273

Chapter 20 Start-Up Funding 281

Section IV The Future of Bitcoin

Chapter 21 Altcoins and Bitcoin 2.0 Projects 289

Chapter 22 Distributed Autonomous Corporations, Governance, and Niche Economies 323

Chapter 23 Ethereum 337

Chapter 24 Bitcoin Cash and Other Forks 347

Index 355