Absolute Essentials of Ethereum is a concise textbook which guides the reader through the fascinating world of the emerging Ethereum ecosystem, from the basics of how its blockchain works to cutting-edge applications.
Written by an experienced educator, each chapter is designed to progress potential students from class to class. Technical concepts are clearly explained for those new to the topic and readers are supported with definitions and summaries in each chapter. Real-life case studies situate the overviews in a contemporary context. Topics covered include the Ethereum Execution and Consensus layers, Ethereum governance and community, Decentralised Autonomous Organisations (DAOs), Decentralised Finance (DeFi), Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and Layer 2.
This book is the ideal text to support undergraduate and postgraduate courses on blockchain technologies, cryptocurrencies, Web3 and fintech, as well as for those who want to know how Ethereum really works.
1. Introducing Ethereum 2. Ethereum: The Execution Layer (EL) 3. Ethereum: The Consensus Layer (CL) 4. Ethereum Governance and Culture 5. Decentralised Autonomous Organisations (DAOs) 6. Decentralised Finance (DeFi) 7. Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) 8. Ethereum Layer 2 and the Roadmap Appendix: Introduction to Bitcoin
Biography
Dr. Paul Dylan-Ennis is Lecturer/Assistant Professor in the College of Business, University College Dublin. His research focuses on the cultural and social aspects of the Ethereum blockchain and the wider Web3 ecosystem.
“Over the last ten years, Ethereum has transformed from being a whitepaper describing a proposal for a more general-purpose blockchain into a highly diverse and complex ecosystem. Absolute Essentials of Ethereum does an excellent job describing the basics, both of the technology and of how people maintain and use it and where it’s going in the years to come.”
—Vitalik Buterin, Founder of Ethereum
“Since its origins as a world computer, Ethereum has gone on to become a world-wide phenomenon. Over that time, to those on the inside, it feels like decades have passed. Paul is one of the few people with the ability to simply and modestly merge those years of collective coordination into a meaningful history of what Ethereum is and more importantly why it matters. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone looking to get caught up and involved in the Ethereum ecosystem.”
—Scott Moore, Co-founder of Gitcoin
“This is the perfect text for anyone to get up to speed with Ethereum and its key concepts. Written in a highly personable and engaging style, this book will take both the technical and non-technical reader on a tour of the most important moments in Ethereum’s history and its most significant projects.”
—Nick Almond (Dr), Founder of Factory DAO
“A well-written, comprehensive introduction to the various component sectors of Ethereum. This book appeals to both readers completely new to Ethereum and those old hands trying to remember the historical developments leading to the current state of affairs.”
—Laurence E. Day (Dr), Founder of Wildcat Finance and Advisor to Euler Finance
