user18: I've tried to read about what a Bitcoin is, how to mine, etc.  I find them to be confusing in that I don't understand the underlying factors driving Bitcoin.  Everything I've read seems to assume the reader has some knowledge of Bitcoin (even the wiki).  Where should I start?

user20844: I recommend this master thesis on “Design and security analysis of Bitcoin infrastructure using application deployed on Google Apps Engine.” It covers the fundamentals of Bitcoin protocol and how everything works together in Bitcoin ecosystem.
I believe the author of this paper is also quite active here!

user21377: Others have already recommended Mastering Bitcoin and the whitepaper, and I'd strongly agree. Mastering Bitcoin's section on transactions is particularly useful.
However, nobody's recommended the Developer Guide at bitcoin.org yet, and it's one of the better resources for learning about Bitcoin, in my opinion. 
For less technical resources, a good starting place would be Andreas Antonopoulos and Balaji Srinivasan's videos on Youtube. 

user12600: A couple of years after this question was asked there is now an excellent book about bitcoin targeted mostly to developers: Mastering Bitcoin [github].
It's written by bitcoin expert Andreas Antonopoulos and is available for free on github.

user105: Try this blog post from The Economist. They are professional writers and obviously knowledgeable in economics so it's a good read. Their opinion on the future of Bitcoin is a bit pessimistic though.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/06/virtual-currency

user9: I think that the Bitcoin wiki is actually a very good place to learn about Bitcoin. Just read the articles there. If you don't understand something, just continue reading and then follow up on the terms you didn't understand.
If you then still have questions left, feel free to ask them here.
PS: we use coins is also a good place to start, especially the video mentioned by Matth1a3.

user42: For a detailed, yet approachable (if you know a little bit about software and cryptography) overview of how bitcoin works, read Satoshi's white paper at: http://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf
Here's a hint to get you started: a bitcoin is a balance in an account.  It's not a token that is passed around.  Many digital cash systems are based on discreet tokens.  That's not the case with bitcoin.  It is a ledger system that consists of a transaction history where balances are transferred between accounts.  If you understand this before reading the paper, it might make more sense.

user27: Weusecoins.com has an excellent video on the basic premise of bitcoin. Bitcoin is a very complicated platform, and really has two separate entities. There is bitcoin the currency, and bitcoin the currency ledger.
The wiki available at bitcoin.it will give you more in depth information if the weusecoins video is too broad.

user44: I wrote the "New to Bitcoin? Start here!" post at bitcointalk.org.
OrigamiRobot, I highly recommend that you read that introduction before proceeding on to anything else, especially the original whitepaper, which is incredibly unapproachable for the average person.  After you finish it, come here and ask about the things that still confuse you--Bitcoin is very complicated, and it can take a while to wrap your head around it!

18: <p>I've tried to read about what a Bitcoin is, how to mine, etc.  I find them to be confusing in that I don't understand the underlying factors driving Bitcoin.  Everything I've read seems to assume the reader has some knowledge of Bitcoin (even the wiki).  Where should I start?</p>
 20844: <p>I recommend this <a href="https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=88149.0" rel="nofollow">master thesis</a> on “Design and security analysis of Bitcoin infrastructure using application deployed on Google Apps Engine.” It covers the fundamentals of Bitcoin protocol and how everything works together in Bitcoin ecosystem.</p>

<p>I believe the author of this paper is also quite active here!</p>
 21377: <p>Others have already recommended <em><a href="http://github.com/aantonop/bitcoinbook" rel="nofollow">Mastering Bitcoin</a></em> and the <a href="http://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf" rel="nofollow">whitepaper</a>, and I'd strongly agree. <em>Mastering Bitcoin</em>'s section on transactions is particularly useful.</p>

<p>However, nobody's recommended the <a href="https://bitcoin.org/en/developer-guide" rel="nofollow">Developer Guide at bitcoin.org</a> yet, and it's one of the better resources for learning about Bitcoin, in my opinion. </p>

<p>For less technical resources, a good starting place would be Andreas Antonopoulos and Balaji Srinivasan's videos on Youtube. </p>
 12600: <p>A couple of years after this question was asked there is now an excellent book about bitcoin targeted mostly to developers: <a href="https://github.com/aantonop/bitcoinbook" rel="nofollow">Mastering Bitcoin [github]</a>.</p>

<p>It's written by bitcoin expert <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andreas_Antonopoulos" rel="nofollow">Andreas Antonopoulos</a> and is available for free on github.</p>
 105: <p>Try <a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/06/virtual-currency" rel="nofollow">this blog post</a> from <a href="http://www.economist.com/" rel="nofollow">The Economist</a>. They are professional writers and obviously knowledgeable in economics so it's a good read. Their opinion on the future of Bitcoin is a bit pessimistic though.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/06/virtual-currency" rel="nofollow">http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2011/06/virtual-currency</a></p>
 9: <p>I think that the <a href="http://www.bitcoin.it/" rel="nofollow">Bitcoin wiki</a> is actually a very good place to learn about Bitcoin. Just read the articles there. If you don't understand something, just continue reading and then follow up on the terms you didn't understand.</p>

<p>If you then still have questions left, feel free to ask them here.</p>

<p>PS: <a href="http://www.weusecoins.com/" rel="nofollow">we use coins</a> is also a good place to start, especially the video mentioned by Matth1a3.</p>
 42: <p>For a detailed, yet approachable (if you know a little bit about software and cryptography) overview of how bitcoin works, read Satoshi's white paper at: <a href="http://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf">http://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf</a></p>

<p>Here's a hint to get you started: a bitcoin is a balance in an account.  It's not a token that is passed around.  Many digital cash systems are based on discreet tokens.  That's not the case with bitcoin.  It is a ledger system that consists of a transaction history where balances are transferred between accounts.  If you understand this before reading the paper, it might make more sense.</p>
 27: <p><a href="http://www.weusecoins.com/" rel="nofollow">Weusecoins.com</a> has an excellent video on the basic premise of bitcoin. Bitcoin is a very complicated platform, and really has two separate entities. There is bitcoin the currency, and bitcoin the currency ledger.</p>

<p>The wiki available at <a href="http://www.bitcoin.it" rel="nofollow">bitcoin.it</a> will give you more in depth information if the weusecoins video is too broad.</p>
 44: <p>I wrote the <a href="http://bitcointalk.org/?topic=7269.0" rel="nofollow">"New to Bitcoin? Start here!"</a> post at bitcointalk.org.</p>

<p>OrigamiRobot, I highly recommend that you read that introduction before proceeding on to anything else, especially the original whitepaper, which is incredibly unapproachable for the average person.  After you finish it, come here and ask about the things that still confuse you--Bitcoin is very complicated, and it can take a while to wrap your head around it!</p>
