CSE Exam

Walk into any aspirant’s room in Old Rajinder Nagar or Mukherjee Nagar, and you will see piles of dusty books. Most students fail not because they read too little, but because they read too many sources for the same topic. The Golden Rule: Read ONE book ten times, not ten books once. Best Books for UPSC

At Trademark IAS, we have curated the “Toppers’ Standard Booklist”. If a book is not on this list, you probably don’t need it.

Phase 1: The Foundation (NCERTs) Best Books for UPSC

Before you touch the heavyweights, you must build the base.

• History: Old NCERTs (Class 11 & 12).

• Geography: New NCERTs (Class 11 & 12). Mandatory.

• Economy: Class 11 (Indian Economic Development).

• Polity: Class 11 (Indian Constitution at Work).

• Note: Read these in your first 2 months.

Phase 2: The Standard Reference Books (The “Must-Haves”) Best Books for UPSC

These are the books you will live with for the next 1.5 years.

1. Indian Polity

• Book: Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth.

• Status: The “Bible.” Do not look at any other book.

• Strategy: [Read our detailed Polity Strategy here].

2. Modern History

• Book: A Brief History of Modern India by Spectrum (Rajiv Ahir).

• Status: Best for Prelims. Handy and fact-heavy.

• Alternative: India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra (Only for Mains/Storytelling).

3. Indian Economy

• Book: Indian Economy by Nitin Singhania OR Sanjiv Verma.

• Status: Concise and updated.

• Avoid: Ramesh Singh (Too bulky for beginners).

4. Geography

• Book: Certificate Physical and Human Geography by G.C. Leong.

• Status: Essential for Physical Geography (Part 1).

• Atlas: Oxford Student Atlas.

5. Environment

• Book: PMF IAS Environment OR Shankar IAS (Selective reading).

• Status: PMF is better for visuals; Shankar is the classic.

6. Art & Culture Best Books for UPSC

• Book: Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania.

• Warning: It is huge. Read only selected chapters (Architecture, Paintings, UNESCO Sites).

7. Science & Tech Best Books for UPSC

• Book: No book.

• Source: Monthly Current Affairs Magazine + Biology NCERT (Class 12 – Ecology Unit).

Phase 3: The Value Additions (For Mains) Best Books for UPSC

• Ethics (GS 4): Lexicon for Ethics.

• International Relations: Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Website + Current Affairs.

• Internal Security: Challenges to Internal Security of India by Ashok Kumar (IPS).

What NOT to Buy 

• “Guide Books”: (e.g., “UPSC Guide by XYZ Publication”). They are full of errors.

• Yearbooks: (e.g., “India Year Book”). Don’t read the whole book; just read the coaching summary.

Conclusion

Your booklist should fit on a single shelf. If you stick to these sources and revise them 5 times, you are safe. If you keep adding new materials from Telegram channels, you are in the “Cycle of Doom.”

Want the Shopping Checklist? We have created a “Printable Booklist Card”. Take it to College Street (Kolkata) or Boring Road (Patna) and buy exactly what you need.

[Download Booklist Checklist PDF] | [Buy Books Online]