title: Before Babylon, Beyond Bitcoin: From Money That We Understand to Money That Understands Us (Perspectives)
author:  David Birch 
description: <span><span>"David Birch brings out in rich and lucid detail the full historical journey money has been undertaking and the technological revolutions it has encountered en route. Historical scholars, technologists, monetary economists and policy makers will all find something in here to hold their attention, to reshape their view of history or technology, finance or policy." From the foreword by Andrew Haldane, Chief Economist of the Bank of England and member of the Monetary Policy Committee</span></span>
zlib_text: # Mastering Bitcoin
  
  * * *
  
  
  # Preface
  
  # 1\. Writing the Bitcoin Book
  
  
  
  
  
  I first stumbled upon bitcoin in mid-2011. My immediate reaction was more or
  less "Pfft! Nerd money!" and I ignored it for another six months, failing to
  grasp its importance. This is a reaction that I have seen repeated among many
  of the smartest people I know, which gives me some consolation. The second
  time I came across bitcoin, in a mailing list discussion, I decided to read
  the whitepaper written by Satoshi Nakamoto to study the authoritative source
  and see what it was all about.
  
  
  I still remember the moment I finished reading those nine pages, when I
  realized that bitcoin was not simply a digital currency, but a network of
  trust that could also provide the basis for so much more than just currencies.
  The realization that "this isn’t money, it’s a decentralized trust network,"
  started me on a four-month journey to devour every scrap of information about
  bitcoin I could find. I became obsessed and enthral