Jawaharlal Nehru published 1 novel, 13 non-fiction books, 2 children's books and 4 other books, beginning with Letters from a Father to His Daughter (1930). The best-known is The Discovery of India (1946).
Updated September 2026
Where to start with Jawaharlal Nehru
Start here
The Discovery of India
Jawaharlal Nehru's most-read book.
Standalone novels in order
An Autobiography (1936)
Non-fiction in order
Jawaharlal Nehru (1936)
Toward Freedom; the Autobiography of Jawaharlal Nehru (1941)
Unity of India Collected Writings 1937-1940 (1941)
India's Foreign Policy (1946)
The Discovery of India (1946)
Independence and After (1949)
Mahatma Gandhi (1949)
Talks with Nehru (1951)
The Story of the World (1951)
India (1957)
The Mind of Mr. Nehru (1960)
India's Freedom (1962)
Indian Economic Thought and Development (1969)
Children's books in order
Letters from a Father to His Daughter (1930)
Glimpses of World History (1942)
Other books in order
The Life & Speeches of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru (1930)
India-China Relations (1960)
Letters to His Sister (1963)
Nehru (1965)
Film and TV adaptations
- Bharat Ek Khoj (1988)TV · from The Discovery of India
About Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat, and statesman who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20th century. Nehru was a principal leader of the Indian nationalist movement in the 1930s and 1940s. Upon India's independence in 1947, he served as the country's first prime minister, holding office for 16 years 286 days. Nehru promoted parliamentary democracy, secularism, and science and technology during the 1950s, powerfully influencing India's arc as a modern nation. In international affairs, he steered India clear of the two blocs of the Cold War. A well-regarded author, he wrote books such as Letters from a Father to His Daughter (1929), An Autobiography (1936) and The Discovery of India (1946), that have been read around the world.
Biography from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Jawaharlal Nehru FAQ
- How many books has Jawaharlal Nehru written?
- Jawaharlal Nehru published 1 novel, 13 non-fiction books, 2 children's books and 4 other books that we list, as of September 2026.
- What order should I read Jawaharlal Nehru's books in?
- Publication order is a safe choice; the full list is above. Most readers start with The Discovery of India.
- What is Jawaharlal Nehru's last book?
- India's Freedom (1962).
- What is Jawaharlal Nehru's most famous book?
- The Discovery of India (1946) is Jawaharlal Nehru's most widely read book.
- Which Jawaharlal Nehru books have been adapted?
- 1 book has been adapted for film or TV, including The Discovery of India (as Bharat Ek Khoj, TV, 1988).
Authors like Jawaharlal Nehru
Sources: book lists and dates from Wikidata and Open Library, ratings from Open Library readers. Last updated September 2026.