UPSC General Studies Books

Recommended Books for UPSC General Studies – please note this booklist is reference only.

History

NEW NCERT BOOKS – PDF

• Class 6th – Ancient Indian History by Romila Thapar – Download PDF
• Class 7th – Medieval Indian History by Romila Thapar – Download PDF
• Class 10th – The Story of Civilization Part- I by Arjun Dev – Download PDF
• Class 10th – The Story of Civilization Part- II by Arjun Dev – Download PDF
• Class 11th – Ancient Indian History by R.S Sharma – Download PDF
• Class 11th – Ancient Indian History by Makkhan Lal – Download PDF
• Class 11th – Medieval Indian History by Satish Chandra – Download PDF
• Class 12th – Modern Indian History by Bipan Chandra – Download PDF

Previous Year Questions and Mock Questions – BEST BOOK – RECOMMENDED

UPSC Books For 2025 Exam

Basic Books:

1. 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: SELECTIVE READING ONLY ( 1 – 3 FULL BOOK )

1. India’s Ancient Past by R.S. Sharma
2. History of Medieval India (800–1700 AD) by Satish Chandra published
3. History of Modern India by Bipin Chandra (2009 Edition) 
4. India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipin Chandra & Others 
5. India After Independence (1947 – 2000) by Bipin Chandra & Others
6. From Plassey To Partition And After by Sekhar Bandopadhyaya.

World History:

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

Geography

1. Certificate Physical & Human Geography (Oxford) by Goh Cheng Leong 
2. 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 

3. School Atlas – Orient Black Swan

4. Indian Geography by D. R. Khullar

Social Issues

1. XI Standard NCERT on Indian Society (Chapters on Unity & Diversity and Population Issues) 
2. XII Standard NCERT (Chapters on Communalism, Secularism and Urban Issues such as Poverty, Housing, etc.) 
3. The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper ( SELECTIVE READING – ONLY )

Indian Polity

1. Constitution of India at Work (Class XI) NCERT Publication 
2. Indian Polity by Laxmikanth 
3. The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper
4. Yojana Magazine

Governance Issues

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

Developmental Issues

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

International Relations

1. India’s Foreign Policy Since Independence by V.P. Dutt 
2. The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper

Indian Economy

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

Ecology & Environment

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

Security Issues

1. India’s Security in a Turbulent World by Jasjit Singh, published by National Book Trust of India 
2. The Hindu or Indian Express Newspaper

Science & Technology

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

Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

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

Current Affairs

1. Monthly Current Affairs Digest published by Vajiram and Ravi / Insights on India
2. Daily Current Affairs Update and MCQs by Vajiram & Ravi / Insights on India