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The students who clear the UPSC prelim exams appear in the Mains examination. UPSC Mains exam includes a total of 9 exams which carry an average weightage of 1750 marks. To prepare well for this examination you need quality study materials. In the given blog, I will include a list of books that can be used to prepare for the UPSC mains.
List Of UPSC Books for Mains GS Papers📕
In the given table, we have stated the best books for the UPSC Mains for the GS & Optional Papers.
List Of UPSC Books For Mains GS Papers
| Subject | Mains Paper | UPSC Books | Direct Amazon Link |
| History, Indian Heritage & Culture | GS Paper 1 | Ancient India by RS SharmaHistory of Medieval India by Satish Chandra India after Independence by Bipan Chandra India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra | Ancient India India after Independence India’s Struggle for Independence |
| Geography | World Geography by Majid Husain Fundamentals of Physical Geography NCERT Class 11 | World Geography Fundamentals of Physical Geography NCERT Class 11 | |
| Polity & International Relations | GS Paper 2 | Indian Polity by M. Laxmikanth Introduction to the Constitution of India by DD Basu | Indian PolityIntroduction to the Constitution of India |
| Economy | GS Paper 3 | Indian Economy – Nitin Singhania Environment and Disaster Management by Tata McGraw Hill | Indian Economy Environment and Disaster Management |
| Ethics | GS Paper 4 | Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude for Civil Services Main Examination by Subba Rao and P.N. Roy Chaudary | Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude for Civil Services Main Examination |
Also Read: UPSC Previous Year Question Papers For Last 10 Years
Subjet-Wise Books – UPSC Mains (Optional Exam)📖
Below is the list of books that are written by the subject matter experts that can be used to prepare to excel into the examination.
List Of IAS Books For Optional Subjects
| Optional Subjects | Book Name | Direct Amazon Link |
| Agriculture Books | Fundamentals Of Agricultural Extension Education by U Barman Elements of Entomology – Vasantha Raj and David Genetics- B.D.Singh | Fundamentals Of Agricultural Extension Education Elements of EntomologyGenetics |
| Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science | A Textbook Of Animal Husbandry- G C Banerjee Agricultural Economics- S Subba Reddy | A Textbook Of Animal Husbandry Agricultural Economics |
| Botany | Cryptograms- B.R. Vasista Botany for Degree Students; Pteridophyta (Vascular Cryptogams)-P.C. Vashishta | CryptogramsBotany for Degree Students; Pteridophyta (Vascular Cryptogams) |
| Civil Engineering | Strength of Material- Prof. S. Ramamrutham Limit state design of steel structures: S K Duggal | Strength of Material Limit state design of steel structures |
| Economics Books | The Indian Economy – Sanjiv Verma Indian Economy – R. Dutt and KPM Sundaram | The Indian Economy Indian Economy |
| Anthropology Books | Physical Anthropology – P Nath Fossil Evidence – S Das | |
| Chemistry | A guide to mechanism in organic chemistry – Peter Sykes A textbook of physical chemistry (Vol. – IV) – K.L. Kapoor | – |
| Commerce & Accountancy | Accounting Standards- D. S. RawatIncome Tax book by- V.K. Singhania or Girish Ahuja | – |
| Electrical Engineering | Electromagnetic Fields & Waves- Kd Prasad Principles of Electronics – V .K. Mehta | – |
| Geography Books | A Geography by Population – R.C. Chandna Hartshorn & Truman A | A Geography by Population |
| Geology | Advancing Frontiers in Geology and Geophysics: A Volume in Honour of M.S. Krishnan- A P Subramaniam & S. Balakrishnan Dimensions of Himalayan Geology- Biyani A.K. | – |
| History Books | A History of South India -K.A. Nilkantha SastriThe story of Civilization, Vol. 2 (NCERT) -Arjun Dev | A History of South India |
| Law | International Law- S. K KapoorIntroduction to the Constitution of India – D.D Basu | – |
| Management | Fundamentals of Management by DeCenzo, Agarwal, Bhattacharya and Robbins Financial Management by Prasanna Chandra | Fundamentals of ManagementFinancial Management |
| Mathematics Books | Dynamics, Statics and Hydrostatics – M. RayLinear Algebra – K.C. Prasad, K B Datta | – |
| Medical Science | Human Anatomy—B D Chaurasia Pathology– Robbins, and Cotran | – |
| Physics | Any fundamental book on electrical engineering like B.L Theraja (Vol 1) or Vincent Del Toro EM Theory -Chopra&Agarwal/Satya Prakash | – |
| Political Science & International Relations | An Introduction To Political Theory- O.P GaubaFoundations Of Indian Political Thought- V.R Mehta | – |
| Mechanical Engineering | Thermodynamics – R Yadav Theory of Mechanism and Mechanics – Jagdish Lal | Theory of Mechanism and Mechanics |
| Philosophy Books | A History of Philosophy by Frank Thilly Introduction to Religious Philosophy By Y Masih | A History of Philosophy Introduction to Religious Philosophy |
| Psychology | Psychology XI & XII Std NCERT Psychology by Ciccarelli | Psychology Psychology |
| Public Administration Books | Administrative Thinkers by Prasad and Prasad Mohit Bhattacharya- Pub Ad A new look | Administrative ThinkersPub Ad A new look |
| Sociology Books | Sociology – Anthony GiddensSociological Thought – M Francis Abraham and John Henry Morgan | Sociology Sociological Thought |
| Zoology | Modern Zoology by Ramesh GuptaCell Biology by CB Powar | Modern ZoologyCell Biology |
| Statistics | An Introduction to Probability Theory & Mathematical Statistics -V K Rohtagi Fundamentals of Statistics (2 Vol.)- A M Goon, M K Gupta and B Dass Gupta | An Introduction to Probability Theory & Mathematical Statistics Fundamentals of Statistics |
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Indian Art and Culture by Nitin Singhania, India’s Struggle for Independence by Bipan Chandra, India after Independence by Bipan Chandra, History of Medieval India by Satish Chandra, and Ancient India by R.S Sharma are some of the good books that you can prefer for a good preparation. For more detailed information you can see the above included list.
It is the essential source for Indian Polity and the Constitution. However, it will not be enough for the main preparation due to a lack of analysis and evaluation of the concepts.
The exam is not tough, you just need thorough preparation and dedicated studies all day and night. As the competition for this exam is way too high.
This was all about the “Best Books For UPSC Mains”. For more such informative blogs, check out our UPSC Exams Section, or you can learn more about us by visiting our Indian exams page.