Curated List of Sikh Books in English About History, Literature, Weapons, & Sikh Arts.
Most Gurdwaras in North America are severely lacking an English section in their libraries.
In an effort to grow our local Gurdwara’s library, I’ve compiled a list of the some of the most recommended Sikh books. It is important to note that:
- The list is not complete. There are definitely some books and topics missing.
- Not every book is going to be amazing cover to cover; some of them may have a particular section that makes it valuable.
Regardless, here is the list along with the contributors, year of publication and number of pages.
History
- Sri Nanak Prakash Vol. 1 — Resham Singh and Jivanpal Singh (2020, 523 pgs)
- The Sikh Heritage: Beyond Borders — Dalvinder Singh Pannu (2019, 416 pgs)
- Polity and Economy of the Punjab During the 18th Century — Veena Sachdeva (1993, 229 pgs)
- Five Centuries of Sikh Tradition — Sheena Pall and Reeta Grewal (2005, 391 pgs)
- The Darbar of the Sikh Gurus — Louis Fenech (2008, 356 pgs)
Poetry
- Pilgrim’s Way: Diwan of Bhai Nand Lal Goya — Bawa P.L. Bedi (1999. 129 pgs)
- Poems from the Guru Granth Sahib — Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh (2022, 624 pgs)
- 54 Punjabi Proverbs — Jvala Singh (2019, ~60 pgs)
Research & Academic Publishings
- Debating the Dasam Granth — Robin Rinehart (2011, 240 pgs)
- The Granth of Guru Gobind Singh: Essays, Lectures and Translations — Kamalroop Singh and Gurinder Singh Mann (2015. 304 pgs)
- The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies — Pashaura Singh and Louis E. Fenech (2014, 672 pgs)
- Sikhism — A Guide for the Perplexed — Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair (2012. 256 pgs)
- The Turban And The Sword Of The Sikhs: Essence Of Sikhism — Dr. Trilochan Singh (2001, 526 pgs)
Arts & Weapons
- The Arts of the Sikh Kingdoms — Susan Stronge (2001, 256pgs)
- New Insights into Sikh Art — Kavita Singh (2006, 148 pgs)
- Painters at the Sikh Court — B. N. Goswamy (1999, 113 pgs)
- Warrior Saints — Amandeep Singh Madra and Parmjit Singh (2013, 240 pgs)
- In the Master’s Presence: The Sikhs of Hazoor Sahib — Nidar Singh Nihang and Parmjit Singh (2009, 330pgs)
- In Pursuit of Empire — Davinder Toor (2018, 332pgs)
- The Sikh Art: From the Kapany Collection — Paul Michael Taylor and Sonia Dhami (2021, 320 pgs)
- Sikh Militancy in the 17th Century — Hardip Singh Syan (2013, 320 pgs)
Children’s Section
- Sikh Comics — A collection of beautifully designed graphic novels.
- Bed Time Stories — 10 different books on the stories of the Gurus, warriors, and saints. Written by Santokh Singh Jagdev. ~80 pages per book.
- Kamal’s Kes — Baljinder Kaur (2021, 40 pgs)
- Sri Guru Nanak Sakhi Sagar — Guru Nanak Academy (2021, 240 pgs)
- Fauja Singh Keeps Going — Simran Jeet Singh and Baljinder Kaur (2020, 48 pgs)
- Gurmukhi Workbook 1 — Ajinder Kaur and Lee Holland (2018. 106 pgs)
Gurbani & Literature
- Any book by Kamalpreet Singh Pardeshi. Usually ~100 pgs.
How Can We Effectively Grow Our Gurdwara Libraries For The Oncoming Generation?
This is a separate problem!
And we’ll have to tackle it on it’s own. We will need to build a strategy in order to make our resources useful to the seeker. Over the upcoming weeks, I will try and share our learnings on improving the library.
Stay tuned and follow to stay updated!