History is one of the major subjects in the UPSC syllabus. There is a lot of information that needs to be covered from HIstory. History consists of 3 chunks; Ancient, Medieval, and Indian war of independence. So, you have to read a little more about History.
“What are the best history books?” “How many more books?” Some thoughts resonate with almost all candidates especially when it comes to IAS history book lists. But wait, you have to shortlist and get your hands on the right ones. So, when you finally sit down to read those books, many times the thought like “too many books, too little time” makes you feel annoyed! Please note that you have to read all of these books selectively and not completely.
History Books for UPSC
For a basic preparation for the prelims and mains, students can start with the NCERT history book to begin their history preparation. Apart from these, some other advanced reference books are also recommended. These books have proven to be extremely useful for students coming from business or science backgrounds.
- NCERTs from Class VI to XII (Old Version)
- Ancient and Medieval History-NCERTs + Tamil Nadu Board XI text book. (Read and revise multiple times)
- Modern Indian History- Spectrum/ Bipin Chandra (Read anyone)
If you want to read more details for betterment, you can go for..
- ALL in ONE- An Advanced History of India (R. C Majumdar, H. C Raychaudhuri, Kalikinkar Datta.
- From Plassey to Partition and After (Sekhar Bandyopadhya)
Remember: Read the book and never forget to take notes.
World History:
Questions from the world history don’t come in the Prelims. You have to prepare World history for UPSC Mains. Read this book.
- World History-NCERTs Class XI
- History of the modern world – Jain and Mathu
So, to make you a little more concerned and to study a little more, we have compiled a complete bibliography for UPSC that is recommended by the toppers. All you have to do is follow a specific UPSC book list so you don’t get too distracted from the main course.
