Disclosure: book links go to Amazon and we may earn a small commission if you buy through them. Updated for 2026.
Looking for a serious quantum computing reading list? This is our shortlist of five books that, between them, will take you from intuitive quantum mechanics through writing real code on Qiskit and Cirq, all the way to graduate-level reference material. Each entry tells you the prerequisites, what you will get out of it, and which book to pair it with. The list is built to be evergreen, picked for staying power, not novelty, and updated for 2026.
For the longer 17-book version see our illustrated 17 quantum books guide; for the curated master hub across all of QZ see Quantum Computing Books: The Master Reading List.
Where to start, by background
| If you are… | Start with |
|---|---|
| Curious but no physics background | Susskind & Friedman, Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum |
| Comfortable with linear algebra and want to learn properly | Rieffel & Polak, Quantum Computing: A Gentle Introduction |
| Want to write code on Qiskit straight away | Sutor, Dancing with Qubits + our 20 Qiskit terms |
| Want a hands-on, applied tour | Hidary, Quantum Computing: An Applied Approach |
| Graduate / serious researcher | Nielsen & Chuang, Quantum Computation and Quantum Information |
The five books, reviewed
1. Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum by Leonard Susskind & Art Friedman
Level: Curious reader with some maths • Prerequisites: high-school maths and a willingness to read equations
Leonard Susskind is one of the founders of string theory and one of the great living lecturers in physics. Here he and Art Friedman walk you through quantum mechanics itself, not quantum computing, at the level a working physicist actually thinks at, but with all the workings shown. State vectors, Hermitian operators, eigenvalues, and entanglement are introduced cleanly and intuitively, with the patience that distinguishes a senior teacher from a textbook writer.
This is not a quantum-computing book, it is the foundation that every other book on this list assumes. Read it first if you want to actually understand what a qubit, a Bell state, or a measurement is, rather than just describe it. Pair it with any of the four books below and you will have the strongest possible starting position. For the broader place this book holds in the field’s history, see our history of quantum computing.
2. Quantum Computing: A Gentle Introduction by Eleanor Rieffel & Wolfgang Polak
Level: Undergraduate / mathematically literate • Prerequisites: linear algebra (vectors, matrices, eigenvalues), some complex numbers
The textbook most computer-science departments use as a first formal introduction to quantum computing. Eleanor Rieffel and Wolfgang Polak are computer scientists by training, and the book reflects that, quantum mechanics is introduced as the minimal mathematical machinery needed, then the focus shifts straight to circuits, algorithms, and complexity classes. Mathematically honest without being intimidating.
The treatment of quantum complexity theory and quantum algorithms is the clearest you will find at this level, Deutsch–Jozsa, Bernstein–Vazirani, Simon, Shor, and Grover are all derived properly, with each stepwise piece justified. The right next book once Susskind (or Bernhardt’s Quantum Computing for Everyone) has set you up.
3. Dancing with Qubits by Robert S. Sutor
Level: Self-taught programmer / Qiskit user • Prerequisites: some Python, basic linear algebra
Robert Sutor is a former IBM research executive who oversaw IBM Quantum during its formative years, and his book reflects that practitioner’s view. Dancing with Qubits is the book that bridges intuition and code: the maths is taught at the level you need to write working Qiskit programs and not a step further, with worked examples that exercise both your linear algebra and your Python.
It is the right book if your goal is to become productive with a real SDK quickly. Pair it with our 20 Qiskit terms reference for the modern post-1.0 Qiskit API (primitives, ISA circuits, Qiskit Runtime), and with our 20 Cirq terms if you want to compare against Google’s framework.
4. Quantum Computing: An Applied Approach by Jack D. Hidary
Level: Practitioner • Prerequisites: linear algebra, some programming, modest physics intuition
Jack Hidary’s book takes the applied path and runs with it. Where Sutor focuses tightly on Qiskit, Hidary’s treatment is multi-framework, circuits and algorithms are presented in Qiskit, Cirq, and a sprinkling of others, and the second half of the book is given over to the application areas (chemistry, optimisation, machine learning, finance) where quantum computing is most often pitched as relevant.
This is the right book if your goal is breadth: to know the shape of every algorithm and every claimed application area without committing to any single framework or specialisation. Excellent for an industry technologist evaluating where quantum computing might or might not be useful for them.
5. Quantum Computation and Quantum Information by Michael A. Nielsen & Isaac L. Chuang
Level: Graduate / serious researcher • Prerequisites: strong undergraduate maths and physics, comfort with proofs
The “Mike and Ike”, the textbook every serious quantum-computing researcher cites and most have on their desk. Two decades after publication it is still the standard reference for everything from quantum algorithms and information theory to error correction and physical implementations. Dense, rigorous, and not a casual read.
If you intend to do graduate work, contribute to research, or build an honest mental model of why quantum computing works the way it does, this is the book you need to own. The chapters on quantum error correction and stabiliser codes have aged especially well, Google Willow’s 2024 below-threshold demonstration of surface-code QEC is a direct application of Chapter 10. For broader context on why this book matters, see our history of quantum computing guide.
A suggested reading order
| Stage | Book | Time investment |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Foundations | Susskind & Friedman, The Theoretical Minimum | 2–3 weeks of evenings |
| 2. Quantum computing properly | Rieffel & Polak, A Gentle Introduction | 4–6 weeks |
| 3. Hands-on with code | Sutor, Dancing with Qubits | 3–4 weeks alongside the IBM Qiskit textbook |
| 4. Breadth across applications | Hidary, An Applied Approach | 2–3 weeks of selective reading |
| 5. Reference for life | Nielsen & Chuang | Indefinite, keep it on the desk |
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to learn quantum computing from books?
If you start from a comfortable undergraduate maths background and study seriously, you can be writing useful Qiskit code in 6–8 weeks (Sutor or Hidary), have a real grasp of the algorithmic landscape in 3–4 months (adding Rieffel & Polak), and reach a research-relevant level in 6–12 months (adding Nielsen & Chuang). With no maths background, expect roughly twice that, Susskind's Theoretical Minimum is the bottleneck and it cannot be skipped.
Do I need to know quantum mechanics first?
You do not need a full physics-textbook treatment, but you do need the linear-algebra core: state vectors, inner products, Hermitian operators, eigenvalues, and the measurement postulate. Susskind's Theoretical Minimum teaches exactly this and nothing more. If you would rather come at quantum computing from a pure computer-science angle, see Mermin's Quantum Computer Science instead.
Should I read books or just use the IBM Qiskit textbook?
Both. The IBM Qiskit textbook is excellent for getting code running and seeing quantum algorithms in action, and it is free. Books give you the structure and the mental model that lets you actually understand what you are doing. Pair Sutor or Hidary with the Qiskit textbook for the practical track, and Susskind plus Rieffel & Polak for the conceptual one.
Is Nielsen & Chuang still relevant in 2026?
Yes. The fundamentals, qubits, gates, circuits, complexity classes, error-correcting codes, have not changed since 2000. Nielsen & Chuang shows its age in the practical sections on physical implementations (NMR-heavy) and on what hardware exists today, but for the conceptual core it remains the canonical reference. For modern hardware, supplement with our Complete Guide to Quantum Computing.
Are any of these books available free?
Mark Wilde's Quantum Information Theory (not on this list, but our top recommendation for the QIT specialty, see the master list) is free as a PDF on the author's site. The IBM Qiskit textbook is fully free online and pairs naturally with Sutor or Hidary. Scott Aaronson's Quantum Computing since Democritus began as freely available lecture notes that are still online.
What if I am completely new and find Susskind too hard?
Drop down a level to Chris Bernhardt's Quantum Computing for Everyone, the most genuinely accessible book in the field, no physics required. Then come back to Susskind once Bernhardt has built your intuition.
Related reading on Quantum Zeitgeist
- Quantum Computing Books: The Master Reading List, the curated master hub with 10 reviewed books, FAQs, and full schema.
- 17 Best Quantum Computing Books, the long, illustrated 17-book deep dive.
- What Is Quantum Computing? The Complete Guide, long-form explainer (no maths).
- Quantum Computing With Equations, the same ground covered with the maths visible.
- History of Quantum Computing, the complete sourced timeline (1900–2026).
- 20 Qiskit terms, 20 Cirq terms, 20 Q# terms, SDK reference cards.
