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UPSC Civil Services

UPSC General Studies Books

Recommended Books for UPSC General Studies

01

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
  • A History of Ancient & Early Medieval India by Upinder Singh
  • History of Medieval India (800–1700 AD) by Satish Chandra published by Orient Longman
  • History of Modern India by Bipin Chandra (2009 Edition)
  • India's Struggle for Independence by Bipin Chandra & Others
  • India After Independence (1947 – 2000) by Bipin Chandra & Others.
  • From Plassey To Partition And After by Sekhar Bandopadhyaya
  • The Story of Civilization, Part 2 by Arjun Dev, NCERT
  • Contemporary World History for class XII (Old NCERT Book)
  • Mastering Modern World History by Norman Lowe
02

Geography

  • Certificate Physical & Human Geography (Oxford) by Goh Cheng Leong
  • NCERTs (New Editions)
  • XI Standard: (1) India – Physical Environment (2) Fundamentals of Physical Geography
  • XII Standard: (1) India – People & Economy (2) Fundamentals of Human Geography
  • School Atlas – Orient Black Swan
  • Indian Geography by D. R. Khullar
03

Social Issues

  • XI Standard NCERT on Indian Society (Chapters on Unity & Diversity and Population Issues)
  • XII Standard NCERT (Chapters on Communalism, Secularism and Urban Issues such as Poverty, Housing, etc.)
  • The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
04

Indian Polity

  • Constitution of India at Work (Class XI) NCERT Publication
  • Indian Polity by Laxmikanth
  • The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
  • Yojana Magazine
05

Governance Issues

  • From Government to Governance by Kuldeep Mathur
  • Ethics in Governance, ARC Report
  • Citizen Centric Administration (Chapters 2, 5, 6, 7 & 8 only and box items in the report)
06

Developmental Issues

  • Human Development Report & World Development Report
  • Panchayati Raj in India by Kuldeep Mathur
  • The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
  • Kurukshetra & Yojana Magazines
07

International Relations

  • India's Foreign Policy Since Independence by V.P. Dutt
  • The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
08

Indian Economy

  • Indian Economic Development XI Standard NCERT
  • Indian Economy by Sanjiv Verma
  • Introductory Macroeconomics XII Standard NCERT (Ignore all diagrams & mathematical formulas)
  • The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
  • Economics Dictionary published by Collins & Penguin
  • Economic Survey 2021 – 22 Highlights
09

Ecology & Environment

  • Certificate Physical & Human Geography by Goh Cheng Leong (Second Half of the Book)
  • XII Standard NCERT Book on Biology (Chapters pertaining to Ecology)
  • India Year Book (Chapters on Environment)
  • Chapter on Climate Change from Economic Survey
  • The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
10

Security Issues

  • India's Security in a Turbulent World by Jasjit Singh, published by National Book Trust of India
  • The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
11

Science & Technology

  • VIII, IX, X Standard NCERT books on Biology
  • The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
  • Monthly Magazine 'Science Reporter for Science & Technology
12

Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

  • Ethics in Governance, ARC Report
  • Lexicon by Chronicle Publications
  • The Book on Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude published by Access Publication

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