Our list of some of the best Hinduism books & series in recent years. Get inspired by one or more of the following books.
- The Essentials of Hinduism: A Comprehensive Overview of the World’s Oldest Religion (2002)
- The Bhagavad Gita, 2nd Edition (2007)
- Hinduism For Dummies (2011)
- Hinduism: What You Need to Know about the Hindu Religion, Gods, Goddesses, Beliefs, History, and Rituals (2019)
- Be Here Now (1971)
- An Introduction to Hinduism 1ed (Introduction to Religion) (1996)
- Everyday Hinduism (Lived Religions) (2015)
- HINDUISM: Hinduism for Beginners: Guide to Understanding Hinduism and the Hindu Religion, Beliefs, Customs, Rituals, Gods, Mantras and Converting to Hinduism (2016)
- The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Hinduism, 2nd Edition: A New Look at the World s Oldest Religion (Complete Idiot’s Guides (Lifestyle Paperback)) (2009)
- Hinduism: A Comprehensive Guide to the Hindu Religion, Hindu Gods, Hindu Beliefs, Hindu Rituals and Hinduism History (2017)
- Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (2016)
- Many Many Many Gods of Hinduism: Turning believers into non-believers and non-believers into believers (2013)
- The Upanishads, 2nd Edition (2007)
- The Origins and Development of Classical Hinduism (1991)
- A Survey of Hinduism: Third Edition (2007)
The Essentials of Hinduism: A Comprehensive Overview of the World’s Oldest Religion (2002)
This book gives clearly written explanations of the basic ideas and practices of Hinduism and its culture. It answers so many questionsDo the Hindus worship many gods? Are the Hindus idol worshippers? What is the purpose of life? What are Hinduism’s spiritual practices?and so on, covering the most mundane to the most profound ideas and questions of Hinduism.
The Bhagavad Gita, 2nd Edition (2007)
Easwaran’s best-selling translation of the Bhagavad Gita is reliable, readable, and profound. His 55-page introduction places the Gita in its historical context, presents key concepts, and brings out the universality and timelessness of its teachings. This edition includes chapter introductions, notes and a Sanskrit glossary.
Hinduism For Dummies (2011)
The dominant religion of India, “Hinduism” refers to a wide variety of religious traditions and philosophies that have developed over thousands of years. Today, the United States is home to approximately one million Hindus.
Hinduism: What You Need to Know about the Hindu Religion, Gods, Goddesses, Beliefs, History, and Rituals (2019)
This book will discuss the history and founding of Hinduism, the basics of the four main beliefs of Hinduism, the gods and goddesses which are associated with these beliefs, and how to practice the beliefs of Hinduism in everyday life.
Be Here Now (1971)
In March 1961, Professor Richard Alpert – later renamed Ram Dass – held appointments in four departments at Harvard University. He published books, drove a Mercedes and regularly vacationed in the Caribbean. By most societal standards, he had achieved great success And yet he couldn’t escape the feeling that something was missing. Psilocybin and LSD changed that.
An Introduction to Hinduism 1ed (Introduction to Religion) (1996)
This book provides a much-needed thematic and historical introduction to Hinduism, the religion of the majority of people in India. Dr. Flood traces the development of Hindu traditions from ancient origins and the major deities to the modern world. Hinduism as both a global religion and a form of nationalism are discussed.
Everyday Hinduism (Lived Religions) (2015)
This innovative introductory textbook explores the central practices and beliefs of Hinduism through contemporary, everyday practice.
HINDUISM: Hinduism for Beginners: Guide to Understanding Hinduism and the Hindu Religion, Beliefs, Customs, Rituals, Gods, Mantras and Converting to Hinduism (2016)
If you are considering reading up on Hinduism or even planning on converting to Hinduism then this book is for you. This book has everything you want to learn about the Hindu religion! Hinduism is a fascinating religion to learn about. Even if you are not Hindu and have no interest in being a Hindu, you can still take it upon yourself to learn about the faith and understand why it is important to so many people around the world.
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Hinduism, 2nd Edition: A New Look at the World s Oldest Religion (Complete Idiot’s Guides (Lifestyle Paperback)) (2009)
The Complete Idiot’s Guide(r) to Hinduism, Second Edition, contains updated and expanded information on how the religion developed from its very fragmented origins, the basic Hindu beliefs, and the multiple Hindu deities, as well as the sociological aspects of the religion including ethics, sacraments, dietary habits, the caste system, and much more.
Hinduism: A Comprehensive Guide to the Hindu Religion, Hindu Gods, Hindu Beliefs, Hindu Rituals and Hinduism History (2017)
This book has eye-opening information about Hinduism that will help you to understand the religion, the Gods, beliefs, rituals and how it has evolved over time. Does Hinduism really have many Gods? Why do Hindus worship the cow? How about the dot… why do they wear it near the middle of their forehead? Why are they forbidden to eat meat…?
Hinduism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) (2016)
Hinduism is practised by nearly eighty per cent of India’s population, and by some seventy million people outside India. In this Very Short Introduction, Kim Knott offers a succinct and authoritative overview of this major religion, and analyses the challenges facing it in the twenty-first century.
Many Many Many Gods of Hinduism: Turning believers into non-believers and non-believers into believers (2013)
“Religion is the opium of the people,” said Karl Marx many centuries ago. For more than a billion people living in India and abroad, Hinduism is the religion and a way of life. In this book Swami Achuthananda cracks open the opium poppy pods, analyzes the causes for euphoria, and comes away with a deeper understanding of the people and their religion.This is a comprehensive book on Hinduism.
The Upanishads, 2nd Edition (2007)
In the ancient wisdom texts called the Upanishads, illumined sages share flashes of insight, the results of their investigation into consciousness itself. In extraordinary visions, they have direct experience of a transcendent Reality which is the essence, or Self, of each created being.
The Origins and Development of Classical Hinduism (1991)
The late A.L. Basham was one of the world’s foremost authorities on ancient Indian culture and religion.
A Survey of Hinduism: Third Edition (2007)
The third edition of this well-regarded introduction to Hinduism adds new material on the religion’s origins, on its relations with rival traditions, and on Hindu science.This third edition of the classic text updates the information contained in the earlier editions, and includes new chapters on the origins of Hinduism; its history of relations with Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam; Hindu science; and Hindu measures of time.
Best Hinduism Books You Should Read
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Library Genesis and download some hinduism books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
Hinduism in Middle India: Narasimha, The Lord of the Middle
Author(s): Lavanya Vemsani
ID: 3489793, Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic, Year: 2023, Size: 12 Mb, Format: pdf
Hinduism: The Basics
Author(s): Neelima Shukla-Bhatt
ID: 3629704, Publisher: Routledge, Year: 2023, Size: 12 Mb, Format: pdf
Religion, Enlightenment and Empire. British Interpretations of Hinduism in the Eighteenth Century
Author(s): Jessica Patterson
ID: 3182032, Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Year: 2022, Size: 4 Mb, Format: pdf
Please note that this booklist is not definite. Some books are absolutely hot items according to The Wall Street Journal, others are composed by unknown authors. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant resources you could recommend? Leave a comment if you have any feedback on the list.