“Money, ‘The Age of Cryptocurrency’ explains, is ‘a medium of exchange, a unit of account and a store of value.’ But for Schopenhauer it was ‘human happiness in the abstract,’ and for Dostoyevsky ‘coined liberty.’ These passion metaphors reflect the febrile excitement about Bitcoin that Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey, both of The Wall Street Journal, share in their wide-ranging, interesting account of the origin, past and possible future of this virtual-money wannabe.”
– Emanuel Derman, The New York Times, March 18, 2015
“For any book on bitcoin to be worth reading, though, it has to delve further: into the crypto-currency’s ideological and technical roots, for instance, or what it adds to the narrative of money, or even what its economic and political impact may be. The currency’s dollar price may be three-quarters down on its peak, but the underlying technology also provides plenty of intellectual fodder—and is unlikely to go away. So there is plenty to write about if you are serious.
“Paul Vigna and Michael Casey, two journalists at the Wall Street Journal, are certainly serious.”
– The Economist, Jan. 10, 2015
“To their ample credit, Paul Vigna and Michael J. Casey, veteran Wall Street Journal reporters, resist the common temptation to hype their trendy subject. They’ve written a reported explainer that patiently documents bitcoin’s rise, acknowledges its flaws and highlights its promise. Smart and conscientious, “The Age of Cryptocurrency” is the most thorough and readable account of the short life of this controversial currency.”
– Daniel Gross, The Washington Post, Jan. 23, 2015
“Vigna and Casey are cautious, though enthusiastic guides to this strange new world. Being Wall Street Journal reporters, they know how to dig beneath the surface and they also know how to write. The book is full of fascinating stories, from the origins of money to the future of decentralized commerce, form the Mt. Gox meltdown to the Silk Road bust.”
– Matt Ridley, The Times of London, Jan. 31, 2015
Read Amazon reviews here.
