9 must-read books for aspiring UPSC candidates

Here’s a comprehensive list of highly recommended RS Sharma RS Sharma and Mains preparation books, covering History, Geography, Civics, Environmental Science, and more.

Embarking on the journey to crack the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam is like taking the path less travelled. It requires immense dedication, hard work, and unwavering determination. However, this challenging road leads to a beautiful destination for becoming a successful civil servant.

The Oxford University Press offers a comprehensive list of highly recommended UPSC Prelims and Mains preparation books, covering History, Geography, Civics, Environmental Science, and more.

Best books for IAS prelims:

Ancient India’ by RS Sharma (Old NCERT)

The history of medieval India by Satish Chandra.

A brief history of modern India – Spectrum Publication

Facets of Indian culture – Spectrum Publication.

Indian Geography. Goh Cheng Leong’

‘Indian polity’ – M Laxmikant

1. INDIA’S ANCIENT PAST BY R S SHARMA

The book by R.S Sharma revolves around all the past major and minor happenings from the enigmatic Indus Valley Civilization to the majestic Gupta Empire. With its clear explanations, insightful analysis, and inclusion of relevant maps and illustrations, this book serves as an invaluable resource for students, scholars, and anyone interested in exploring the fascinating journey of ancient and medieval India.

India’s Ancient Past book is also available in Hindi, named ‘Bharat ka Prachin Itihaas’ by R.S Sharma.

2. CERTIFICATE PHYSICAL AND HUMAN GEOGRAPHY BY GOH CHENG LEONG

The book is considered very helpful by aspirants appearing for the preliminary examination of Civil Services and other prestigious competitive examinations that tests general knowledge, including knowledge of geography.

The Certificate of Physical and Human Geography was first published in 1984 and has been popular ever since. It covers all the physical geography topics and terminologies along with their pictures and maps to make it easily understandable.

3. ANCIENT HISTORY OF INDIA BY SNEHIL TRIPATHI & SONALI BANSAL

The Ancient History of India has been designed for aspirants of Civil Services and various State service examinations. The book sheds light on art, culture, literature, architecture, language, beliefs and traditions of the ancient period to the modern era. With the aid of numerous pictures and diagrams, the author has presented a vast array of knowledge about Indian art, paintings, music, and architecture.

4. A COMPENDIUM OF INDIAN ART AND CULTURE BY S. BALIYAN

The book on Indian art and culture offers a comprehensive and holistic overview of various dimensions, including architecture, sculpture, paintings, music, dance, drama, martial arts, puppetry, coinage, seals, and more. With the aid of numerous pictures and diagrams, this captivating read becomes even more engaging and informative.

5. INTERNAL SECURITY OF INDIA AND DISASTER MANAGEMENT BY SYED WAQUAR RAZA

The book on Internal Security of India and Disaster Management offers comprehensive coverage of all relevant topics aligned with the UPSC or Civil Services exam syllabus. It has been thoughtfully designed to assist aspirants in gaining a profound understanding of the country’s socio-political order, while also exploring the connections between development and the spread of extremism.

6. ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES: FROM CRISIS TO CURE, BY R. RAJAGOPALAN

This book delves into the significant environmental challenges of our time, covering topics such as Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity, Climate Change, and Institutions and Policies addressing environmental pollution.

Through over 80 real-life case studies from India and beyond, it highlights various issues, solutions, successes, and failures. The student-friendly writing style, complemented by numerous illustrations, makes it a compelling and enriching read.

7. QUESTION BANK ON ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY BY VINAY G.B

Question Bank on Environment and Ecology is a simple one-read solution that judiciously covers one of the most important areas of the UPSC Prelims syllabus along with providing all the latest topics and happenings around the globe.

Some of the topics covered are functions of the ecosystem, the terrestrial ecosystem, environmental pollution and measures, and Environmental impact assessment. It is developed as an exam-aid, with all qualities of a standard test-preparation material.

8. QUESTION BANK ON INDIAN ECONOMY, 2E BY VINAY KUMAR G.B

Question Bank on Indian Economy is a compendium of practice questions designed to enable the aspirants of the UPSC examinations to crack the tricky MCQs of the real exam.

The book has more than 2000 quality questions that will not only test your knowledge of the Indian economy but will also help you understand concepts better. The book also extensively covers all current economic issues, including climate change and trade war-related issues.

9. INDIAN FOREIGN POLICY BY SUMIT GANGULY

It explains how the three approaches to the study of international politics and decision-making, national/domestic and systemic/global have helped in formulating and implementing India’s foreign policies.

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