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:

1. The list is not complete. There are definitely some books and topics missing.
2. 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!