Books for UPSC (IAS) Civil Services Prelims and Mains Exam Preparation

Books for UPSC (IAS)  Civil Services Prelims and Mains Exam Preparation 

Taking inputs from toppers, we have prepared a detailed list of the best IAS books available in the market. Aspirants can click on each link to buy books online at discounted prices.

NCERT books English 

•NCERT Books from Class 6 – 12 – NCERTs should be your starting point.

•Now you can buy NCERT books for UPSC as a bundle also.

GS Manuals for Prelims (All-in-One Guides)

•General Studies Paper 1 Manual – If you are a beginner, an all-in-one book can help you get a quick idea about the UPSC requirements. Manuals by Pearson, McGraw Hill, and Arihant are equally good. Buy any one book.

•General Studies Paper 2 Manual – Selective practice of MCQs from any 1 of the following books – Pearson, McGraw Hill, or Arihant should be sufficient.

UPSC Previous Year Question Papers

•Kiran Prakashan’s book for GS Paper 1 and GS Paper 2 (CSAT) are excellent compilations for UPSC Prelims

•Enroll in ClearIAS UPSC previous-year Questions Re-Take exams for Prelims GS Paper 1 and GS Paper 2. The solutions are based on the official UPSC keys available from 2011.

•IAS General Studies Preliminary Topic wise Solved Papers (Paper I and II) – New Vishal

•24 Years UPSC IAS/ IPS Prelims Topic-wise Solved Papers 1 & 2 (1995-2018) – by Disha Experts

Standard Textbooks for UPSC Prelims

There are no replacements for standard reference textbooks for UPSC preparation. Click to buy online for the textbooks for each subject mentioned in the UPSC syllabus (Prelims and Mains).

Indian History and Culture

•India's Ancient Past - R.S. Sharma. (Ancient India - Text Book)

•History of Medieval India - Satish Chandra (Medieval India - Text Book)

•History of Modern India - Bipan Chandra (Modern India - Text Book)

•India's Struggle For Independence - Bipan Chandra (Modern India - Read like a story)

•The Wonder That Was India - A.L. Bhasham. (Ancient India and Culture)

•Indian Art and Culture - Nitin Singhania (For quick reference - Culture)

•Ancient and Medieval India - Poonam Dalal (For quick reference - Ancient and Medieval India)

•Modern Indian History - Sonali Bansal (For quick reference - Modern India)

•A Brief History of Modern India - Spectrum (For quick reference - Modern India)

Indian Geography and World Geography

•Oxford School Atlas - Oxford (Geography)

•Geography of India - Majid Husain (Indian Geography)

•World Geography - Majid Husain (World Geography)

•Physical Geography - Savindra Singh (Physical Geography)

•Human Geography - Majid Husain (Human Geography - Social and Economic)

•Certificate Physical and Human Geography - Goh Cheng Leong (Physical and Human Geography)

Indian Polity and Constitution

•Indian Polity for Civil Services Examinations - M. Laxmikanth (Polity)

•Introduction to the Constitution of India - D. D. Basu (Constitution)

Indian Economy

•Indian Economy - Ramesh Singh (Economy)

•Indian Economy Key Concepts - Shankarganesh (Concepts)

•The Indian Economy - Sanjiv Verma (Advanced Economy Topics)

•Economic Survey. (Indian Economy Trends and Statistics)

Science and Technology

•Science and Technology - Sheelwant Singh

•Science and Technology in India - Ravi P Agrahari.

Environment - Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change

•Environmental Studies: From Crisis to Cure - Rajagopalan. (Environment)

•Environment for Civil Services Prelims and Mains - Khuller

•Environment - Shankar

Current Affairs

• India Year Book (Current Affairs)

•Manorama Yearbook (Current Affairs)

•ClearIAS Current Affairs Capsule [Monthly MCQs] (Current Affairs)

CSAT (For those weak in CSAT)

•Cracking the CSAT - Arihant (CSAT - Paper 2)

•Analytical Reasoning - M. K. Pandey (CSAT -

• Paper 2: Analytical Reasoning)

•Verbal & Non-Verbal Reasoning - R. S.Aggarwal (CSAT Paper 2: Reasoning)