Books for Mains

A curated, subject-wise list of recommended books for the UPSC Civil Services Mains examination.

Subject Recommended Books
History, Art & Culture (GS 1)
  • Ancient India by R.S. Sharma
  • Medieval India by Satish Chandra
  • India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra
  • India after Independence by Bipan Chandra
  • NCERT Class 11 An Introduction to Indian Art Part 1
  • Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania
  • CCRT Website
  • Facets of Indian Culture by Spectrum
Indian Society & Social Issues (GS 1)
  • NCERT Class 12
  • Social Problems in India by Ram Ahuja (2nd Edition)
  • India Yearbook
Geography (GS 1)
  • Certificate Physical and Human Geography – G C Leong
  • Fundamentals of Physical Geography NCERT Class 11
  • Geography of India by Majid Husain
  • World Geography by Majid Husain
  • World Atlas
Polity (GS 2)
  • NCERT Class 9 to 12
  • Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth
  • The Constitution of India by P M Bakshi
International Relations (GS 2)
  • Current Affairs (Daily Newspaper)
  • Ministry of External Affairs Website
  • Introduction to the Constitution of India by DD Basu
  • India’s Foreign Policy by Rajiv Sikri
Economics (GS 3)
  • Budget
  • Economic Survey
  • Current Affairs (Daily Newspaper)
  • Indian Economy – Ramesh Singh or Sanjiv Verma
Environment (GS 3)
  • Shankar IAS Environment
  • NIOS Study Material for Environment
Disaster Management (GS 3)
  • 2nd ARC Third Report – Crisis Management
  • Current Affairs (Daily Newspaper)
Science & Technology (GS 3)
  • NCERT Class 6 to 10 Science
  • Wizard Science & Technology
  • ISRO Website (Science Reports)
  • Current Affairs (Daily Newspaper)
Ethics (GS 4)
  • Lexicon for Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude, OR
  • Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude for Civil Services Main Examination by Subba Rao and P.N. Roy Chaudary