Physics books reading list

This list contains important books which are essential for understanding the concepts and nature of topics that are essential for competitive examinations like UGC-NET, SET, JEST, University exams, and higher studies. The books are listed topic-wise. The difficulty level of the books will increase as we go down. Both advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students can use these books. Self-study is an important aspect to understand the concepts in a deeper manner. 

1. Fundamental books (For freshmen and to understand basics)

• Fundamentals of Physics (Extended) by David Halliday, Robert Resnick, Jearl Walker John Wiley & Sons. 

• Sears and Zemansky's University Physics With Modern Physics By Hugh D. Young, Roger A. Freedman, Albert Lewis Ford, Pearson Addison Wesley.

• Schaum's 3,000 Solved Problems in Physics By Alvin Halpern · 2011-McGraw-Hill Education.

• Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics By Raymond A. Serway, John W. Jewett, Vahé Peroomian, Cengage Learning. 

• College Physics A Strategic Approach Technology Update By Randall Dewey Knight, Brian Jones, Stuart Field, Pearson.

• The Feynman Lectures On Physics vol.1,2,3 - Pearson Education.

• Fundamentals of Physics vol.1,2 by R. Shankar, Yale University Press.

2. Mathematical Physics

• Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering A Comprehensive Guide By K. F. Riley, M. P. Hobson, S. J. Bence · 2006, Cambridge University Press.

• Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences By Mary L. Boas · 2006, Wiley.

• Mathematical Methods for Physicists A Comprehensive Guide By George B. Arfken, Hans J. Weber, Frank E. Harris · 2013, Elsevier Science.

• Basic Training in Mathematics A Fitness Program for Science Students By R. Shankar · 2013, Springer.

• Mathematical Physics Applications and Problems By V. Balakrishnan 2020, Springer International Publishing.

3. Thermodynamics and statistical physics

• Concepts in Thermal Physics by Stephen Blundell, Stephen J. Blundell, Katherine M. Blundell Oxford University Press, 2006.

• An Introduction to Thermal Physics By Daniel V. Schroeder · 2021, Oxford University Press.

• Heat And Thermodynamics By Mark W. Zamansky · 2001, McGraw-Hill Education.

• Statistical Physics: Berkeley Physics Course Vol 5 (Sie) By Rief, McGraw-Hill Education.

• Thermal physics By Charles Kittel, Charles Kittel, Herbert Kroemer, Kittel Charles, Herbert Kroemer, Kroemer Herbert · 1980, W. H. Freeman.

• Thermodynamics, Kinetic Theory, and Statistical Thermodynamics By Francis Weston Sears, Gerhard L. Salinger, John E. Lee · 1975, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.

• Thermal Physics By Ralph Baierlein · 1999, Cambridge University Press.

4. Waves and oscillations 

•  Vibrations and Waves by A.P. French CRC Press.

• The Physics of Waves and Oscillations By N. K. Bajaj · 1988- Tata McGraw-Hill.

5. Electromagnetic Theory

• Introduction to Electrodynamics By David J. Griffiths · 2017, Cambridge University Press.

• Electricity and Magnetism By Edward M. Purcell, David J. Morin · 2013, Cambridge University Press.

• Classical Electrodynamics Volume 10 By John David Jackson · 1999, Wiley.

• Electromagnetics With Applications By John D. Kraus, Daniel A. Fleisch · 1999, WCB/McGraw-Hill.

6. Optics

• Fundamentals of Optics By Francis Arthur Jenkins, Harvey Elliott White · 2018, McGraw-Hill.

• Optics By Eugene Hecht · 2017, Pearson Education, Incorporated.

• Optics By Ajoy Ghatak · 2010, McGraw-Hill Education.

• Fundamentals of Photonics By Bahaa E. A. Saleh, Malvin Carl Teich · 2007, Wiley India.

7.  Atomic, Molecular, Nuclear, and particle physics (Modern Physics)

• Concepts of Modern Physics By Arthur Beiser, Shobhit Mahajan, S Rai Choudhury · 2003, Tata McGraw-Hill, Higher Education.

• Modern Physics By Raymond A. Serway, Clement J. Moses, Curt A. Moyer · 2004, Cengage Learning.

• Modern Physics By Kenneth S. Krane · 2019, Wiley.

• Physics of Atoms and Molecules By B. H. Bransden, Charles Jean Joachain · 2003, Prentice-Hall.

• Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy Basic Aspects and Practical Applications By Sune Svanberg · 2012, Springer London, Limited.

• Fundamentals of Molecular & Spectroscopy By Banwell · 2001, McGraw-Hill Education.

• Nuclear Physics By Irving Kaplan · 1972, Addison-Wesley.

• Introductory Nuclear Physics By Krane Kenneth S. · 2008, Wiley India.

8. Classical Mechanics

• Introduction to Classical Mechanics: With Problems and Solutions Book by David J. Morin.

• Classical Mechanics by John Robert Taylor, University Science Books.

• Newtonian Mechanics Book by Anthony French,1971.

• Classical Mechanics By Herbert Goldstein · 2011, Pearson.

• Mechanics Volume 1 By L D Landau, E.M. Lifshitz · 1976, Elsevier Science.

• CLASSICAL MECHANICS. By J. C. UPADHYAY · 2016- HIMALAYA Publishing House.

• Classical Mechanics By R. Douglas Gregory · 2006, Cambridge University Press.

• CLASSICAL MECHANICS By G. ARULDHAS · 2008, PHI Learning.

9. Quantum Mechanics

• Quantum Physics: of Atoms, Molecules, Solids, Nuclei and Particles by Robert Martin Eisberg · 2006, Wiley India Pvt. Limited. 

• Quantum Mechanics By B. H. Bransden · 2000, Pearson Education.

• Introduction to Quantum Mechanics By David J. Griffiths, Darrell F. Schroeter · 2019, Cambridge University Press.

• A Textbook of quantum mechanics By P. M. Mathews and K. Venkatesan · 1978, Tata McGraw-Hill.

• Principles of Quantum Mechanics By R. Shankar, Springer USA.

• Quantum Mechanics Concepts and Applications By Nouredine Zettili · 2009, Wiley.

• Course of Theoretical Physics Quantum Mechanics. 3 By Lev Davidovich Landau, Evgeniĭ Mikhaĭlovich Lifshit︠s︡, Lev Petrovich Pitaevskiĭ, Vladimir Borisovich Berestet︠s︡kiĭ · 1977, Pergamon Press.

10. Condensed matter physics

• The Oxford Solid State Basics By Steven H. Simon · 2013.

• Elementary Solid State Physics Principles and Applications By M. Ali Omar · 1975, Addison-Wesley.

• Introduction to Solid State Physics By Charles Kittel, Paul McEuen · 2015, John Wiley & Sons.

• Solid State Physics By Neil Ashcroft, N. Mermin · 2020, Blue Kingfisher.

• Fundamentals of Condensed Matter Physics By Marvin L. Cohen, Steven G. Louie · 2016, Cambridge University Press.

• Physics of Materials Essential Concepts of Solid-state Physics By Prathap Haridoss · 2016, Wiley.

11. Electronics

• Grob`s Basic Electronics By Mitchel Schultz · 2020, McGraw-Hill Education.

• Integrated Electronics Analog and Digital Circuits and Systems By Jacob Millman · 2010, McGraw-Hill Education (India) Pvt Limited.

• Electronic Principles By Albert Paul Malvino, David J. Bates, Patrick E. Hoppe · 2020, McGraw-Hill Education.

• The Art of Electronics By Paul Horowitz, Winfield Hill · 2015, Cambridge University Press.

• Solid-State and Semiconductor Physics By John Philip McKelvey · 1982, Krieger Publishing Company.

• Physics of Semiconductor Devices By Simon M. Sze, Yiming Li, Kwok K. Ng · 2021, Wiley.

12. Astronomy and astrophysics

• Schaum's Outline of Astronomy By Stacey Palen · 2001- McGraw-Hill Education.

• Astronomy by Andrew Fraknoi, Foothill College David Morrison, NASA Ames Research Center Sidney C. Wolff, National Optical Astronomy Observatory - OpenStack.

• An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics By Bradley W. Carroll, Dale A. Ostlie · 2017-Cambridge University Press.

• An Invitation To Astrophysics By Thanu Padmanabhan · 2006 - World Scientific Publishing Company.