📚 WBCS Book List 2025 – Complete Guide for Prelims & Mains

Preparing for the West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) Exam requires not only dedication but also the right set of books. Choosing standard reference books helps aspirants cover the syllabus comprehensively and improves chances of success.

In this guide, you’ll find the best WBCS book list for both Prelims and Mains, curated to meet the demands of the latest exam pattern. Regular News Paper is must.

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✅ WBCS Prelims Book List

General Studies

• History of India – Spectrum’s A Brief History of Modern India
• Geography – NCERTs (Class 6–12) + Majid Husain’s Geography of India
• Polity – M. Laxmikanth’s Indian Polity
• Economy – Ramesh Singh’s Indian Economy & Nitin Singhania
• Science & Technology – Lucent’s General Science + NCERT basics
• Current Affairs – The Hindu, Indian Express, and monthly magazines

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📖 WBCS Mains Book List

Paper I – Bengali/English

• Wren & Martin (Grammar)
• Selected Essays & Practice Papers

Paper II – English Essay & Precis

• Essays for Civil Services by Pulkit Khare
• Word Power Made Easy by Norman Lewis

Paper III – General Studies I (History & Geography)

• Spectrum (Modern History)
• Bipin Chandra (Indian Freedom Struggle)
• Majid Husain (Geography of India)

Paper IV – General Studies II (Science, Polity, Economy, Environment)

• Laxmikanth (Polity)
• Ramesh Singh (Economy)
• Shankar IAS (Environment & Ecology)

Paper V – Constitution of India & Indian Economy

• Indian Polity (Laxmikanth)
• Indian Economy (Ramesh Singh/ Nitin Singhania)

Paper VI – Arithmetic & Reasoning

• R.S. Aggarwal (Quantitative Aptitude and Reasoning)

Paper VII & VIII – Optional Subjects

• Choose standard university-level books as per your optional subject (e.g., Botany, Anthropology, Political Science).

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🔑 Tips for WBCS Aspirants

• Stick to limited sources and revise multiple times.
• Practice previous year question papers.
• Make short handwritten notes for last-minute revision.
• Balance General Studies with Optional Subject preparation.

1. Agriculture

• A.K. Vyas – Principles of Agronomy
• Singh & Chaudhary – Fundamentals of Agricultural Extension
• S.S. Singh – Soil Science

2. Anthropology

• Ember & Ember – Anthropology
• Nadeem Hasnain – Indian Anthropology
• P. Nath – Physical Anthropology

3. Botany

• B.P. Pandey – Plant Anatomy & Physiology
• P.S. Verma – Cell Biology & Genetics
• IGNOU Botany Notes

4. Chemistry

• Morrison & Boyd – Organic Chemistry
• J.D. Lee – Inorganic Chemistry
• P.W. Atkins – Physical Chemistry

5. Civil Engineering

• B.C. Punmia – Surveying & Structural Analysis
• S. Ramamrutham – Strength of Materials
• R.K. Bansal – Fluid Mechanics

6. Commerce & Accountancy

• M.N. Arora – Cost & Management Accounting
• S.N. Maheshwari – Financial Accounting
• Gupta & Radhaswamy – Advanced Accountancy

7. Computer Science

• E. Balagurusamy – Programming in C/C++
• Galvin – Operating System Concepts
• Tanenbaum – Computer Networks

8. Economics

• Ramesh Singh – Indian Economy
• Mishra & Puri – Indian Economy
• Dornbusch & Fischer – Macroeconomics

9. Electrical Engineering

• I.J. Nagrath & D.P. Kothari – Power Systems
• A.E. Fitzgerald – Electric Machinery
• B.L. Theraja – Electrical Technology

10. Geography

• G.C. Leong – Certificate Physical & Human Geography
• Majid Husain – Geography of India
• Khullar – India: A Comprehensive Geography

11. Geology

• P.K. Mukherjee – Geology: Principles of Geomorphology
• Mohapatra – Engineering Geology
• Holmes – Principles of Physical Geology

12. History

• R.S. Sharma – Ancient India
• Satish Chandra – Medieval India
• Bipan Chandra – Modern India

13. Law

• P.M. Bakshi – Constitution of India
• Avtar Singh – Law of Contract & Specific Relief
• R.K. Bangia – Criminal Law

14. Mathematics

• B.S. Grewal – Higher Engineering Mathematics
• M.D. Raisinghania – Differential Equations
• Schaum’s Series – Linear Algebra, Calculus

15. Mechanical Engineering

• R.K. Bansal – Fluid Mechanics
• P.S. Gill – Thermal Engineering
• S.S. Rattan – Theory of Machines

16. Medical Science

• Davidson – Principles & Practice of Medicine
• Park – Preventive & Social Medicine
• Harrison – Internal Medicine

17. Philosophy

• C.D. Sharma – Indian Philosophy
• Dutta & Chatterjee – Introduction to Indian Philosophy
• Y. Masih – Western Philosophy

18. Physics

• Resnick & Halliday – Fundamentals of Physics
• S.L. Kakani – Modern Physics
• Satya Prakash – Optics & Atomic Physics

19. Political Science

• M. Laxmikanth – Indian Polity
• Andrew Heywood – Political Theory
• Subrata Mukherjee – Modern Political Thought

20. Psychology

• Morgan & King – Introduction to Psychology
• Baron – Psychology
• Ciccarelli – Psychology

21. Sociology

• Haralambos & Holborn – Sociology: Themes & Perspectives
• Anthony Giddens – Sociology
• Yogendra Singh – Indian Sociology

22. Statistics

• Goon, Gupta & Dasgupta – Fundamentals of Statistics
• S.C. Gupta – Statistical Methods
• Mood, Graybill & Boes – Introduction to Probability & Statistics

23. Zoology

• Ekambaranatha Ayyar – Textbook of Zoology
• P.S. Verma – Chordata & Non-Chordata
• M.S. Mani – Ecology & Animal Behaviour

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📖 Literature Optionals

24. Bengali

• Rabindranath Tagore – Selected Works
• Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay – Anandamath, Kapalkundala
• Buddhadeb Basu – Bangla Sahityer Itihas

25. Hindi

• Ramchandra Shukla – Hindi Sahitya Ka Itihas
• Premchand – Godaan & other novels
• Harivansh Rai Bachchan – Poetry Collections

26. English

• William J. Long – History of English Literature
• M.H. Abrams – A Glossary of Literary Terms
• Norton Anthology of English Literature

27. Sanskrit

• A.B. Keith – Sanskrit Literature
• Kalidasa – Shakuntala, Meghaduta
• Panini – Ashtadhyayi (Selections)

28. Arabic

• Nicholson – History of Arabic Literature
• Hitti – History of the Arabs
• Al-Jahiz – Selected Writings

29. Persian

• Browne – A Literary History of Persia
• Firdausi – Shahnameh
• Saadi – Gulistan & Bostan

30. Urdu

• Muhammad Husain Azad – Aab-e-Hayat
• Mirza Ghalib – Diwan-e-Ghalib
• Faiz Ahmed Faiz – Poetry

31. Santali

• Chittaranjan Murmu – History of Santali Literature
• Pandit Raghunath Murmu – Baha Parab
• Selected Santali Folk Literature

32. Pali

• Rhys Davids – Buddhist India
• Dines Andersen – Pali Reader
• A.K. Warder – Introduction to Pali Literature

33. French

• Albert Camus – The Stranger
• Molière – Tartuffe
• André Gide – Les Faux-Monnayeurs

34. Nepali

• Laxmi Prasad Devkota – Muna Madan
• Parijat – Shirish Ko Phool
• Bhanubhakta Acharya – Collected Works

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📌 Conclusion

This WBCS book list is designed to give aspirants a clear direction in their preparation. This is not an exhaustive book list. With the right guidance, smart study, and consistent practice, cracking the WBCS 2025 Exam becomes achievable.

👉 For detailed study plans, guidance, and free resources, explore our Current Affairs Telegram Channel and WBCS Made Easy Programs.