Mastering Bitcoin free to read on GitHub

Swiss angle

Mastering Bitcoin is a global book with no Swiss edition. The bitcoinbook repository on GitHub, read on 4 October 2026, says it holds the complete text of three editions as published in paperback and ebook by O'Reilly Media. The same README credits the third edition to Andreas M. Antonopoulos and David A. Harding and licenses it under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0. It is a book; it holds no money and sells no coins, so it is not a financial service.

Nothing in it is about Swiss law or tax. For that part, such as how your coins are valued for the wealth tax at year end, read the Swiss Bitcoin tax guide. The book explains how Bitcoin works, and that is the same in every country.

This site leans on it. The sources and references chapter lists the material behind the book you are reading, and Mastering Bitcoin is the deep technical companion to it.

Who it is for

Readers who want the full technical picture for free. The README says that to read the book for free you open BOOK.md and click each chapter to read it in your browser. You need no account and no download.

Developers and technical readers. The chapter list in BOOK.md runs from keys and addresses through wallets, transactions, signatures, fees, the network, the blockchain and mining to security, so it suits anyone who wants to understand what a wallet does rather than only how to use one.

People who want an up-to-date edition. The README says the first print of the third edition was published in December 2023, and the repository keeps the text of the earlier editions too.

Who it is not for

Complete beginners who want plain words first. Mastering Bitcoin assumes you are comfortable with technical detail; start with the chapter on how Bitcoin works without the jargon or the free Learn Me A Bitcoin site, then come back.

People looking for buying or storage steps. The book explains how wallets work inside and does not compare apps or exchanges. The self-custody guide gets you to a safe setup faster.

Anyone who wants one free file to download. The free version is the chapter pages on GitHub; for an ebook or a paperback, the README points to booksellers such as EBooks.com, Amazon and Barnes and Noble.