Recommended books for Mains - Civil Service Examination

Preparing for the UPSC Mains is all about building a strong foundation, sharpening analytical skills, and expressing thoughts with clarity. Here’s a subject-wise guide to the most recommended books that will help you master the syllabus and write impactful answers.


📝 General Studies Papers

📖 GS Paper I – Indian Heritage, History & Geography

History:

🏛 India’s Struggle for Independence – Bipan Chandra

🏛 India Since Independence – Bipan Chandra

📚 A Brief History of Modern India – Spectrum

📚 Mastering Modern World History – Norman Lowe

📚 World History – Krishna Reddy 

Geography:

📘 NCERTs (6–12) – History & Geography basics

🌍 Certificate Physical and Human Geography – G.C. Leong

🌍 Geography of India - Majid Hussain

📚  Indian Heritage and Culture:

📚 Trends in Indian Culture and Heritage: For Civil Services 

Society:

👥 Indian Society – Ram Ahuja

👥 Social Change in Modern India – M N Srinivas 

👥 Social Problems in India 2 Edition – Ram Ahuja 


🏛 GS Paper II – Polity, Governance & International Relations

Polity:

🏗 Indian Polity – M. Laxmikanth

🏗 Introduction to the Constitution of India by D D Basu

Governance:

🧩 ARC Reports – Especially “Ethics in Governance”

📰 Current Affairs – PIB, PRS India, The Hindu

📄 Government Schemes – Ministry websites and monthly compilations

International Relations:

👥 International Relations – V N Khanna 

👥 India’s Foreign Policy – Muchkund Dubey

 

Important links:

⚙ GS Paper III – Economy, Environment, S&T, Internal Security

Economy:

💹 Indian Economy – Ramesh Singh

📊 Economic Survey & Budget – Official documents

📙 The Indian Economy – Sanjiv Verma 

Environment:

🌱 Environment – Shankar IAS

📙 NIOS Material

Science and Technology:

🔬 Science Reporter, PIB technology briefs

🔬 Science and Technology in India – Ravi P Agrahari

🔬 Science and Technology – Sheelwant Singh 

Security:

🛡 Security Issues – IDSA reports, newspaper editorials

🛡 Internal Security – M.Karthikeyan

🛡 Challenges to Internal Security of India – Ashok Kumar

🛡 India’s National Security: A Reader – Bajpai


🧭 GS Paper IV – Ethics, Integrity & Aptitude

📔 Emotional intelligence by Daniel Goleman 

📔 Lexicon for Ethics, Subbarao’s Ethics Book

📘 ARC Report – Ethics in Governance

📚 Case Studies Practice – Vision IAS, ForumIAS

💭 Real-life examples – Gandhi, Kalam, public servants


✍ Essay Paper

🧠 Yojana, Kurukshetra – Deep insights & perspectives

📙 A compendium of Essays Unique Test Series Book 

🧾 Previous Year Essays – Analyze trends & structures

✍ Essay Compilations – VisionIAS, ForumIAS, InsightsIAS

⏳ Practice regularly – Aim for 1 essay per week


📘 Optional Subjects

Choose wisely based on your interest, background, and overlap with GS.

Popular Optionals:

🌐 Geography – Majid Husain, G.C. Leong, Savindra Singh

🧬 Anthropology – Ember & Ember, Nadeem Hasnain, P. Nath

📖 Sociology – Haralambos, Ritzer, IGNOU notes

🏛 Public Administration – Fadia & Fadia, Mohit Bhattacharya


🔍 Where we find Mains Solved Papers?

📙 IAS Mains Chapter wise Solved Papers General Studies – Arihant 

📙IAS General Studies Main Solved Papers – New Vishal 


Important links:

✅ Final Preparation Tips:

🔁 Revise each book at least 2–3 times

✍ Write answers daily – build speed and structure

📈 Include facts & examples – surveys, schemes, reports

📚 Join test series – for GS & Optional

📆 Stay consistent – daily current affairs + weekly tests

💡 Think like an administrator – ethical, clear, and balanced


✨ Stay focused, trust your preparation, and be patient with the process. With the right books and discipline, success is well within reach.


All the best, future officers!


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