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I am looking for a book to start learning quantum computing from scratch. I have a basic background in classical computing and physics, but I'm a beginner when it comes to quantum computing and quantum information.

I'd prefer a book that:

  1. Uses intuitive explanations and analogies (especially ones that relate to classical computing concepts).

  2. Focuses on building conceptual understanding before diving into heavy mathematics.

  3. Is suitable for self-study and doesn't assume advanced knowledge in quantum mechanics.

  4. Ideally includes some exercises or practical examples.

Community
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Joyal sunny
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The following two books meet your criteria:

  • "Introduction to Classical and Quantum Computing" by Thomas Wong. You can download it from the author's website.
  • "Introduction to quantum algorithms via linear algebra" by Lipton and Regan.
Egretta.Thula
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I just want to briefly mention this here: I found Leonard Susskind's Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum extremely helpful when I first took an introductory course on quantum computing at university.

This book greatly aided my understanding of concepts in quantum computing and information (by teaching me a bit of physics).

vollautomatthi
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For the 3rd criteria, here's a book I used when I started learning about QC, "Dancing with Qubits by Robert S. Sutor". In the book those important concepts such as tensor product, amplitude amplification, QFT/QPE and order finding are explained in a beginner-friendly way.

taketoshi kinoshita
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I am the coauthor of the book “Quantum Information: A First Course” published by Cambridge University Press (2025).

Just wanted to say that this book makes minimal assumptions about the background of the student, tries to be as self-contained as possible, and has nearly 300 exercises to build a strong QI foundation from the very beginning (half of the solutions and a glossary are provided to aid in self-study).

To check out whether it’s for you or not, I recommend going to the book’s page on CUP’s website, where you can have a peek inside it, read the first paragraph of the preface (to check you have the minimal background = high school math and physics), look at the table of contents, and read the section of the book provided (to see if the book speaks to you).

This is the website:

https://www.cambridge.org/highereducation/books/quantum-information/EAA6256F48D3259A008FE5F54226904C#overview

Best wishes, Asma

Asma Al-Qasimi
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