# The Stanford Blockchain Reading List Source: https://blockchain.stanford.edu/crypto101 Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/The-Stanford-Blockchain-Reading-List?index=0x670df3c3efb8c67719f60ede25d132cffae67b18b80609a0cbc48e0c299119d8e110f582 Submitted by zinkk.eth on 2024-10-15 UTC, 6 upvotes, 0 comments ## Summary A reading list for students new to blockchain, built mainly from easy-to-read posts published by Stanford Blockchain on the Stanford Blockchain Review and organized into modules with guiding questions about what the space is building. Module 1 covers why crypto and Web3 exist, using readings such as "The Ideology of Web3" by Jay Yu and an interview with Chris Dixon on Read Write Own. Module 4 covers blockchain infrastructure through projects including Arbitrum Stylus, Caldera, EigenLayer and zero-knowledge proofs, and Module 5 looks at the industry's state in September 2024, including Electric Capital's 2024 crypto insights. ## Article About This is a reading list for students that are just getting started in the blockchain space and wish to get to know the space better. It focuses primarily on easy-to-read blog-post style content published by Stanford Blockchain on the Stanford Blockchain Review, with guiding questions for you to think about "what is the meaning behind all this that we are building"? The content here is split into module topics to guide you from the basic principles of the space to specific sub-sectors in crypto to allow you to find your own interest in the space to carve out your own path. Module 1 - Why Crypto? What is Web3 all about? Take courses: CS 251, LAW 1043, MS&E 447 Module Goals This is an introduction into the design principles and guiding ideology behind the crypto/web3 space at-large. As you work through these readings, think about the following questions: Why do we even need web3? How do we situate the ideology of web3 in the history of the Internet? Why is it important to have blockchains in web3? What role does "crypto tokens" play in this? Why does crypto have such a distinct and unique subculture, as opposed to other emerging technologies, such as AI, AR, and robotics? How are Bitcoin and Ethereum paradigmatic case studies of crypto innovation? Reading List "The Ideology of Web3" by Jay Yu. Oct 2022. Published on Medium. "#35 - Read Write Own: Chris Dixon on Building the Next Era of the Internet". Jan 2024. Interview and Article, published on the Stanford Blockchain Review. Optional Reading List Read Write Own by Chris Dixon. Full book - 2024. "The Most Important Scarce Resource is Legitimacy" by Vitalik Buterin. March 2021. Published on Vitalik's blog. (There's some technical difficulty here) Bitcoin Whitepaper Ethereum Whitepaper Module 4 - Blockchain Infrastructure: What powers these applications behind the scenes? Take Courses: CS 255, CS 244B, EE 374, CS 355 Module Goals Thus far, we've primarily focused on understanding crypto from the application layer. Now it's time to dive under the hood and look at the infrastructure that makes all of these applications possible. Because much of the crypto industry today is focused on building infrastructure, unfortunately we can't possibly cover everything. We're selecting the following projects for their representativeness on the various approaches towards some of the core infrastructure problems in blockchain. In this section, ask yourself these questions: What are the core problems that these various infrastructure projects are trying to solve? How does the infrastructure that they build benefit applications, and how do end users benefit from this infrastructure? What are some of the big trends and open problems in the blockchain infrastructure space? Reading List "#29 - Arbitrum Stylus: A New Standard for Smart Contract Composability". Interview with Rachel Bousfield, Offchain Labs. Oct 2023. Published on the Stanford Blockchain Review. "#25 - Caldera: The Case for Dedicated Rollups" by Matt Katz. Sept 2023. Published on the Stanford Blockchain Review. "#39 - EigenLayer Explained. How You Could've Invented EigenLayer" by Kydo. Feb 2024. Published on the Stanford Blockchain Review. "#22 - Moore's Law for Zero Knowledge Proofs" by Roy Lu. Aug 2024. Published on the Stanford Blockchain Review. Optional Reading List "Scaling". Ethereum Developer Docs. "Data Availability". Ethereum Developer Docs. "The different types of ZK-EVMs" by Vitalik Buterin. EigenLayer Whitepaper Solana Whitepaper "#43 - NEAR Protocol: Exploring Chain Abstraction" by F.F. and Cameron Dennis. June 2024. Published on the Stanford Blockchain Review. Module 5 - Where are we now? The Road Ahead for Crypto Take Courses: MS&E 447 Module Goals Finally, let's look at where crypto as an industry is at now, in September of 2024. As you read through these, think about the areas, topics, and sectors that you'd like to explore, and how we can as an industry move forward to ultimately reinvent the Internet as we know it. Reading List "Good Things Take Time" by Bridget Harris and Gaby Goldberg. August 2024. Published on Substack. "#41 - Electric Capital: 2024 Crypto Insights" by Kole Lee. Interview with Avichal Garg and Maria Shen of Electric Capital. June 2024. Published on the Stanford Blockchain Review. "Demystifying the Riddle of the NFT" by Dr. Matt Stephenson. Oct 2023. Published on the Stanford Blockchain Review.