General Studies Booklist for UPSC Prelims & Mains - 2023

Best General Studies Booklist for UPSC IAS Prelims & Mains

Importance of the Right Books to Study for UPSC

Dear Aspirants,

We have collected a list of necessary books and study resources for Civil Services Exam preparation at the Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced levels. In order to get the most out of your hard work during preparation, we also propose that you study good coaching notes and practise with test series. Apart from these resources, the aspirants should study the following books:

Basic Books for History: NIOS books for XI and XII on - Ancient India, Medieval India, Modern India, National Movement & Contemporary World and Culture of India.

Advance Level Books or History:

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 (Set of 3 Books)
History of Modern India by Bipin Chandra, 2009 Edition (Set of 3 Books )
India's Struggle for Independence by Bipin Chandra
India After Independence (1947 - 2000) by Bipin Chandra
From Plassey To Partition And After by Sekhar Bandopadhyaya

Resources for World History:

The Story of Civilization, Part 2 by Arjun Dev, NCERT
Contemporary World History for class XII (Old NCERT)
Mastering Modern World History by Norman Lowe

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Books & Resources for Geography:

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

Books & Resources for 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 (Read and make notes)

Books & Resources for Indian Polity:

Constitution of India at Work (Class XI) NCERT Publication
Indian Polity by Laxmikanth
The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper (Read and make notes)
Yojana Magazine
Books & Resources for 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)

Books & Resources for Developmental Issues:

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

Books & Resources for International Relations:

India’s Foreign Policy Since Independence by V.P. Dutt
The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper (Read and make notes)

Books & Resources for Indian Economy:

Indian Economic Development XI Standard NCERT
Indian Economy by Sanjiv Verma ( Amazon Link )
Introductory Macroeconomics XII Standard NCERT (you may ignore all diagrams & mathematical formulas)
The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
Economics Dictionary published by Collins & Penguin
Economic Survey 2021 - 22 Highlights

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Books & Resources for Ecology & Environment:

Certificate Physical & Human Geography by Goh Cheng Leong
XII Standard NCERT Book on Biology
India Year Book Chapters on Environment
Chapter on Climate Change from Economic Survey
The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper (Read and make notes)

Books & Resources for 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 (Read and make notes)

Books & Resources for Science & Technology:

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

Books & Resources for Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude:

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

Books & Resources for Current Affairs:

Current Affairs preparation is a very important cog in the wheel of the strategy to clear the civil services examination.

Monthly Current Affairs Digests published by Vajiram & Ravi, Byju's, Insights IAS and Vision IAS Current Affairs. (Read it online and make notes)
Practice Daily Current Affairs MCQs
Join good Current Affairs Test Series Programme (from any reputed coaching institute)

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