Best IAS Books for UPSC

Public Administration departments of any country play a crucial role in implementing effective public policies and addressing issues concerning the public. The Government of India is striving to have dedicated and excellent officers on board who can bring transparency and accountability to the administration with their professional and intellectual skills. Those passionate towards working in the domain of public administration, need to crack some of the toughest examinations in India to steer their way towards getting hired for administrative posts under the Indian government. If you are preparing for UPSC exams, this blog will take you through various informative IAS Books that you must add to your preparation guides in order to successfully ace these exams.

Overview

In order to get efficient and energetic officers on board, Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts varied national-level competitive exams for administrative recruitment under the Indian government. Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is one such choicest examination among 24 government services like IPS, IFS (Foreign), IFS (Forest), IP & TAFS, IAAS, IRS, IDAS, CMSE, IRTS, IRAS, IRPS etc. IAS examination was formerly known as the Imperial Civil Service and was originally founded in the year 1858. It is conducted every year under successive rounds of tests like Preliminary, Mains as well as Personal Interviews. You cannot do away with the fact that being one of the toughest exams in the world, it needs meticulous preparation, analytical as well as observational skills apart from extensive knowledge related to diverse fields of study. In order to excel well in such examinations, many candidates pursue MPA to study the extensive domain of public administration. 

List of Important IAS Books

While the syllabus of the IAS exam can stretch across different disciplines and topics, it is important to gather a comprehensive list of preparatory guides for this exam. Here is a list of prominent IAS books that are a must to add to your study materials for this exam. 

Book	Author	Link
Ancient History	RS Sharma	Buy Here!
Medieval History	Satish Chandra	Buy Here!
A Brief History of Modern India	Rajiv Ahir	Buy Here!
World History	Norman Lowe
Concise History of Modern India	Sujata Menon	Buy Here!
Facets of Indian Culture	Spectrum	Buy Here!
Fundamentals of Human Geography	NCERT
Indian Economy	Ramesh Singh	Buy Here!
Indian Polity	Laxmikanth	Buy Here!
Administrative Thinkers	Prasad and Prasad	Buy Here!
Indian Public Administration	Arora and Goyal	Buy Here!
Science and Technology	Ravi Agrahari	Buy Here!
Indian Art and Culture	Nitin Singhania	Buy Here!
Oxford School Atlas	Oxford Publishers	Buy Here!
Certificate Physical and Human Geography	Goh Cheng Leong	Buy Here!
India Year Book	Current Affairs	Buy Here!
CSAT	Tata McGraw Hill	Buy Here!
Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude	Subba Rao and P.N. Roy Chaudary	Buy Here!

Now, let’s explore some of these major IAS books in further detail:

Indian Polity

Written by M. Laxmikanth who is a famous Political scholar, Indian Polity is a comprehensive and detailed book insightfully covering varied aspects pertaining to Indian politics. It is considered as one of the most prestigious and prolific IAS books to understand the intricacies of the political system of India.

Public Administration

Amongst the varied IAS books authored by noted think-tanker and political scientist Laxminath, this one is considered as the Bible for cracking UPSC exams. It comprises of a total of twelve chapters encompassing diverse administrative concepts and topics as well as contemporary reviews on Indian public administration theories. 

Indian Art and Culture

If you are preparing for the prestigious IAS examination, then you have to familiarize yourself with the contemporary Art and Culture of the country. Amongst the topmost IAS books, this one covers the diverse art and cultural aspects of our country. It is written by Nitin Singhania, a prolific writer who has addressed the history of Indian art as well as related contemporary topics.

Administrative Thinkers

Having an insightful knowledge of famous social theorists will also help you score better in the IAS exam. Written by noted administration scholars, Prasad and Prasad, the book covers the ideologies of noted thinkers like Kautilya, Elton Mayo, Max Weber ad Henry Simon. 

India Yearbook

Staying updated about the current affairs of the country as well as the world is an essential prerequisite to cracking the IAS examination. Amongst the reputed IAS books that are published on a yearly basis, you must add this book to your preparation guides to keep yourself updated with world general Knowledge including important dates, dignitaries, places and historical events.

Top Magazines for IAS Preparation

You cannot do away with the fact that newspapers and magazines are filled with abundant knowledge that certainly turns out to be useful along with the insightful IAS Books. It is strongly prescribed for UPSC aspirants to read newspapers voraciously on a daily basis in order to crack the general awareness sections of the exam. There are also many preparation magazines that you must have during your preparation to stay updated about world events. Glance through the popular magazines listed below which are a must for IAS preparation:

• Pratiyogita Darpan
• Competition Success Review
• Science Reporter
• Economic and Political Weekly
• Down to Earth
• Frontline
• Yojana
• Kurukshetra Magazine 
• Civil Services Times
• Geography and You
• World Focus

Study Material for UPSC

1. 2nd ARC Report (To read more on ARC Reports, check the linked article.)
2. Economic Survey (Latest)
3. Budget (Latest)
4. Finance Commission Report (Latest)
5. Annual reports by central ministries
6. Current Affairs
   • The Hindu Newspaper
   • Yojana Magazine
   • Press Information Bureau Releases
7. Niti Aayog Action Agenda

FAQs

Hence, we hope that this comprehensive blog has provided you with the best IAS books to ace your exam preparation. If you are confused about the ideal career path that aligns with your interests or planning a career change, sign up for an e-meeting with our experts at Leverage Edu and we will assist you in making informed decisions at every step of your academic and professional journey.