To prepare for upcoming UPSC CSE 2020, it is important that you have prior knowledge of the books to refer for preparation. Knowledge of the resources is like a key step in your preparation. There are thousands of books available in the market for UPSC preparation, but only a few provides in-depth knowledge on the topics important for Civil Services Exam. Here is a list of important books recommended by Chanakya IAS Academy to help you prepare for UPSC CSE 2020.
Polity
| Name of the Book | Author/Publication |
|---|---|
| Indian Polity | Laxmikant |
Economy
| Name of the Book | Author/Publication |
|---|---|
| Indian Economy | Uma Kapila |
| Macroeconomics | NCERT Class XII |
| Indian Economic Development | NCERT Class XI |
| Economic Survey | Selective reading from Prelims perspective |
| The Hindu / Business Standards | Newspapers |
| Internet for Understanding Concepts | Investopedia, Google, Youtube |
| Chanakya IAS Academy Books on Economy | Part 1 & Part 2 |
Ancient History of India
| Name of the Book | Author/Publication |
|---|---|
| Old NCERT | RS Sharma |
| Themes in Indian History | Part 1 |
Medieval History of India
| Name of the Book | Author/publication |
|---|---|
| Old NCERT | Satish Chandra (Selective Reading) |
| Themes in Indian History | Part II |
Modern History
| Name of the Book | Author/publication |
|---|---|
| A brief history of Modern India | Spectrum Publications |
| India's struggle for Independence | Bipan Chandra (Selective Reading) |
| NCERT | Bipan Chandra (For the period 1700s to 1857) |
| Themes in Indian History | Part III |
Indian Art & Culture
| Name of the Book | Author/publication |
|---|---|
| An Introduction to Indian Art | Class XI NCERT |
| NCERT | Chapters related to culture in Ancient and Medieval India |
| Centre for Cultural Resource and Training (CCRT) material | |
| NCERT | Heritage Crafts: Living Craft Traditions of India -NCERT |
Environment and Biodiversity
| Name of the Book | Author/Publication |
|---|---|
| Book on Ecology & Biodiversity | Chanakya IAS Academy |
| Science: Class XII Biology | last four Chapters (13 to 16) |
| Newspaper | |
| Monthly Magazine | Chanakya IAS Academy |
General Science
| Name of the Book | Author/Publication |
|---|---|
| General Science Books | IX and X standard |
| The Hindu | (Note down and read about the latest scientific terms, discoveries and inventions frequently mentioned in news) |
Geography
| Name of the Book | Author/Publication |
|---|---|
| Fundamentals of Physical Geography | Class XI NCERT |
| India: Physical Environment | Class XI NCERT |
| Fundamentals of Human Geography | Class XII NCERT |
| India: People & Economy | Class XII NCERT |
| Certificate Physical & Human Geography | GC Leong |
Government Schemes
| Name of the Book | Author/Publication |
|---|---|
| Government Schemes Compilation | Chanakya IAS Academy |
Current Affairs
| Name of the Book | Author/Publication |
|---|---|
| Newspapers | The Hindu / Indian Express |
| Monthly Magazine | Chanakya IAS Academy |
Paper 1
| Name of Paper | Name of the Book | Author/Publication |
|---|---|---|
| ANCIENT HISTORY AND INDIAN CULTURE, MODERN INDIAN HISTORY, WORLD HISTORY and POST INDEPENDENCE HISTORY | India’s Ancient Past | R.S. Sharma published by Oxford University Press |
| A History of Ancient & Early Medieval India | Upinder Singh | |
| History of Modern India | Bipin Chandra (2009 Edition) | |
| India’s Struggle for Independence | Bipin Chandra & Others | |
| India After Independence (1947 - 2000) | Bipin Chandra & Others | |
| From Plassey To Partition by | Sekhar Bandopadhyaya | |
| The Story of Civilization, Part 2 NCERT | Arjun Dev | |
| Contemporary World History for class XII | Old NCERT Book | |
| Mastering Modern World History | Norman Lowe | |
| SOCIAL ISSUES PART 1 | Chapters on Communalism, Secularism and Urban Issues such as Poverty, Housing, etc. | XII Standard NCERT |
| Indian Society (Chapters on Unity & Diversity and Population Issues) | XI Standard NCERT on Indian Society | |
| Newspaper | The Hindu / Indian Express | |
| WORLD PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY and INDIAN GEOGRAPHY | Certificate Physical & Human Geography (Oxford) | Goh Cheng Leong |
| (1) India - Physical Environment (2) Fundamentals of Physical Geography | XI Standard NCERT | |
| (1) India - People & Economy (2) Fundamentals of Human Geography | XII Standard NCERT | |
| School Atlas | Orient Black Swan | |
| Indian Geography | D. R. Khullar |
Paper 2
| Subject | Name of the Book | Author/Publication |
|---|---|---|
| POLITY AND CONSTITUTION OF INDIA | Constitution of India at Work (Class XI) | NCERT Publication |
| Indian Polity | Laxmikanth | |
| Newspaper | The Hindu / Indian Express | |
| Yojana Magazine | Chanakya IAS Academy | |
| GOVERNANCE | From Government to Governance | Kuldeep Mathur |
| Ethics in Governance | ARC Report | |
| Citizen Centric Administration | Chapters 2, 5, 6, 7 & 8 only and box items in the report | |
| Governance and social sector in India | ||
| DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES | Human Development Report & World Development Report | |
| Panchayati Raj in India | Kuldeep Mathur | |
| Newspaper | The Hindu / Indian Express | |
| Kurukshetra & Yojana Magazines | Chanakya IAS Acadmey | |
| INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS | India’s Foreign Policy Since Independence | V.P. Dutt |
| Newspaper | The Hindu / Indian Express | |
| India and The World & international institute | Chanakya Publications Pvt Ltd |
Paper 3
| Subject | Name of the Book | Author/Publications |
|---|---|---|
| INDIAN ECONOMY | Indian Economic Development | XI Standard NCERT |
| Indian Economy | Uma Kapila | |
| Introductory Macro Economics | XII Standard NCERT (Ignore all diagrams & mathematical formulas) | |
| Newspaper | The Hindu / The Indian Express | |
| Economics Dictionary | Collins & Penguins | |
| Economic Survey | Chanakya IAS Academy Analysis | |
| Indian Economy Part A & B | Chanakya Publications Pvt Ltd | |
| ECOLOGY & ENVIRONMENT | Certificate Physical & Human Geography | Goh Cheng Leong (Second Half of the Book) |
| Biology (Chapters pertaining to Ecology) | XII Standard NCERT | |
| Chapters on Environment | India Year Book | |
| Newspaper | The Hindu / The Indian Express | |
| Ecology & Biodiversity | Chanakya Publications Pvt Ltd | |
| SECURITY ISSUES | India’s Security in a Turbulent World | Jasjit Singh, published by National Book Trust of India |
| Newspaper | The Hindu / Indian Express | |
| National Security and Disaster Management | Chanakya Publication Pvt Ltd | |
| SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | Biology | VIII, IX & X Standard Books |
| Newspaper | The Hindu / Indian Express | |
| Science Reporter for Science & Technology’ | Monthly Magazine |
Paper 4
| Subject | Name of the Book | Author/Publications |
|---|---|---|
| ETHICS, INTEGRITY & APTITUDE | Ethics in Governance | ARC Report |
| Ethics, integrity & aptitude | Chanakya IAS Academy |
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