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Introduction
Welcome to Bitcoin For Dummies, 2nd Edition, a book that tells you everything you need to know to get started with the original blockchain-based cryptocurrency (including what blockchain and cryptocurrency mean).
This is a very strange subject. Bitcoin is perhaps the most valuable asset (there’s about a trillion dollars’ worth right now) that almost nobody understands. How can you invest in something if you don’t understand what it is? And make no mistake, most people, even some with thousands of dollars’ worth of Bitcoin, don’t know what it truly is. Read this book, and that won’t be you.
We’re firm believers that if you want to be involved in Bitcoin in some way, you need to understand it. Two huge problems come with not understanding it:
Thousands of Bitcoin owners have had their Bitcoin stolen. We explain how that happens and how to avoid it.
Thousands of Bitcoin owners have “lost” their Bitcoin. We explain how, how to avoid this, and why the Bitcoin isn’t really lost (it’s just out of reach).
Our job is to break it all down into intelligible, easy-to-digest, bite-sized pieces that ordinary folks like yourself can understand.
About This Book
This book explains, simplifies, and demystifies the world of Bitcoin. You find out what you need to know and do in order to decide if and how you’re going to begin stepping into the beautiful world of Bitcoin.
In this book, we explain the following:
Where Bitcoin came from (who’s this person Satoshi Nakamoto?)
What
