UPSC Reference Book List
You'll Read
GS Prelims & Mains
Art & Culture
- NIOS Art & Culture Book
- Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania
- Facets of Indian Culture by Spectrum
- Art & Culture NCERT Class XI – An Introduction to Indian Art (Part 1)
- Art & Culture NCERT Class XII – An Introduction to Indian Art (Part 2)
Indian History
Basic Books:
- NIOS course books for classes XI and XII on – Ancient India, Medieval India, Modern India, National Movement & Contemporary World and Culture of India. (All these are available in PDF format on internet)
Advance Level Books:
- India’s Ancient Past by R.S. Sharma published by Oxford University Press ( Amazon Link )
- A History of Ancient & Early Medieval India by Upinder Singh ( Amazon Link )
- History of Medieval India (800–1700 AD) by Satish Chandra published by Orient Longman ( Amazon Link ) ( Buy Full Set of 3 Books )
- History of Modern India by Bipin Chandra (2009 Edition) ( Amazon Link ) ( Buy Full Set of 3 Books )
- India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipin Chandra & Others ( Amazon Link )
- India After Independence (1947 – 2000) by Bipin Chandra & Others ( Amazon Link )
- From Plassey To Partition And After by Sekhar Bandopadhyaya ( Amazon Link )
World History:
- The Story of Civilization, Part 2 by Arjun Dev, NCERT ( Amazon Link )
- Contemporary World History for class XII (Old NCERT Book) ( Amazon Link )
- Mastering Modern World History by Norman Lowe ( Amazon Link )
Geography
- Certificate Physical & Human Geography (Oxford) by Goh Cheng Leong ( Amazon Link )
- NCERTs (New Editions)
- XI Standard: (1) India – Physical Environment (2) Fundamentals of Physical Geography ( Amazon Link )
- XII Standard: (1) India – People & Economy (2) Fundamentals of Human Geography ( Amazon Link )
3. School Atlas – Orient Black Swan ( Amazon Link )
4. Indian Geography by D. R. Khullar ( Amazon Link )
Social Issues
- XI Standard NCERT on Indian Society (Chapters on Unity & Diversity and Population Issues) ( Amazon Link )
- XII Standard NCERT (Chapters on Communalism, Secularism and Urban Issues such as Poverty, Housing, etc.) ( Amazon Link )
- The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
Indian Polity
- Constitution of India at Work (Class XI) NCERT Publication ( Amazon Link )
- Indian Polity by Laxmikanth ( Amazon Link )
- The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
- Yojana Magazine
Governance Issues
- From Government to Governance by Kuldeep Mathur ( Amazon Link )
- Ethics in Governance, ARC Report ( Amazon Link )
- Citizen Centric Administration (Chapters 2, 5, 6, 7 & 8 only and box items in the report)
Developmental Issues
- Human Development Report & World Development Report ( Amazon Link )
- Panchayati Raj in India by Kuldeep Mathur ( Amazon Link )
- The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
- Kurukshetra & Yojana Magazines
International Relations
- India’s Foreign Policy Since Independence by V.P. Dutt ( Amazon Link )
- The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
Indian Economy
- Indian Economic Development XI Standard NCERT ( Amazon Link )
- Indian Economy by Sanjiv Verma ( Amazon Link )
- Introductory Macroeconomics XII Standard NCERT (Ignore all diagrams & mathematical formulas) ( Amazon Link )
- The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
- Economics Dictionary published by Collins & Penguin ( Amazon Link )
- Economic Survey 2021 – 22 Highlights ( Amazon Link )
Ecology & Environment
- Certificate Physical & Human Geography by Goh Cheng Leong (Second Half of the Book) ( Amazon Link )
- XII Standard NCERT Book on Biology (Chapters pertaining to Ecology) ( Amazon Link )
- India Year Book (Chapters on Environment)
- Chapter on Climate Change from Economic Survey
- The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
Security Issues
- India’s Security in a Turbulent World by Jasjit Singh, published by National Book Trust of India ( Amazon Link )
- The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
Science & Technology
- VIII, IX, X Standard NCERT books on Biology
- The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
- Monthly Magazine ‘Science Reporter for Science & Technology’
Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude
- Ethics in Governance, ARC Report ( Amazon Link )
- Lexicon by Chronicle Publications ( Amazon Link )
- The Book on Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude published by Access Publication ( Amazon Link )