This book is not, and never was intended to be, an in-depth study of Bitcoin or its workings, or of blockchain, or indeed the history and workings of the financial system. It was always intended to be a relatively short and easy-to-read guide to what Bitcoin is.
It seems that you can hardly pick up a paper or look at a newsfeed without seeing a story about Bitcoin or some other cryptocurrency. You know the sort of stuff: "One Bitcoin will be worth the same as a new Lamborghini by the end of the year," or "Cryptocurrency is being used to finance all the gunrunning and drug trade in the world." For most of us, the first question that pops into our heads is "What is this thing that seems so important to our lives?" So, as my starting point, I looked at the various search engines and cryptocurrency or Bitcoin forums to see what the most frequently asked questions were.
I have not attempted to answer questions such as "Which cryptocurrency will be worth the most this year?" or "Will Bitcoin be worth $100,000 next month?" First, I'm not a financial adviser. Second, even the most
knowledgeable gurus with all their technical tools don't know these things with any certainty. The best they can do is offer an educated guess. There are too many variables and unknowns which could knock the market off a predicted course at any time.
As a result of my research, I decided to provide an overview of the basics about Bitcoin. Why and when it was created. What it is and how it works.
How you obtain it and what you can do with it. I trust that once you have finished reading this book you will have gained a basic understanding of Bitcoin - enough at least to understand what news reports mean. Perhaps you will be stirred to undertake further research to gain a better knowledge of Bitcoin. Your effort will be repaid. One way oranother, Bitcoin is set to have big impact on all our lives.
