The NCERT Class 8 SST book is not one book — Class 8 Social Science is printed as four separate NCERT textbooks, and all four are listed below with their chapter counts, page counts and official PDF links.
The split matters because each book restarts its chapter numbering at 1. A homework line that says only “Chapter 2” could mean Reshaping India’s Political Map, From Trade to Territory, Land, Soil, Water, Natural Vegetation and Wildlife Resources or Understanding Secularism — the book that owns the chapter decides. This page tells you which is which.
All four Class 8 SST book PDFs at a glance
The table below shows the four official NCERT textbooks for Class 8 Social Science — what each is titled, how many chapters it holds, how many printed pages it runs, and where its own book page is.
Each book page links the free official NCERT PDF chapter by chapter, so you browse one book at a time instead of one long combined chapter list.
| Book | Chapters | Printed pages | Book page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exploring Society India And Beyond Part I | 7 | 183 | Exploring Society India And Beyond Part I (coming soon) |
| Our Pasts III | 8 | 112 | Our Pasts III (coming soon) |
| Resource And Development Geography | 5 | 54 | Resource And Development Geography (coming soon) |
| Social And Political Life | 8 | 113 | Social And Political Life (coming soon) |
Set totals across the four books: 28 chapters across 462 printed pages, 1 named syllabus section and 188 verified numbered figures indexed from the textbook. The chapter-by-chapter list lives on each book page, one click from the table above — repeating all 28 chapters here would only slow you down.
How to use the Class 8 NCERT book list for social science
Social Science is printed as four volumes, and every volume starts its chapters at 1. The trap repeats at every number — Chapter 1 alone is Natural Resources and Their Use, Introduction, Resources and The Indian Constitution.
| Book | Its Chapter 1 |
|---|---|
| Exploring Society India and Beyond Part I | Natural Resources and Their Use |
| Our Pasts III | Introduction |
| Resource and Development | Resources |
| Social and Political Life | The Indian Constitution |
The four volumes also split the subject by theme, with the same theme appearing in two books each:
- History sits in Our Pasts III and in the medieval-and-colonial chapters of Exploring Society India and Beyond Part I.
- Geography sits in Resource and Development and in the natural-resources chapters of Exploring Society India and Beyond Part I.
- Civics sits in Social and Political Life and in the elections-and-parliament chapters of Exploring Society India and Beyond Part I.
- Economics-style themes such as Factors of Production appear only in the combined book.
How to choose the right Class 8 social science book PDF
Three plain rules settle almost every “which book?” question.
- Search by the chapter title, not the number. A history topic (the Marathas, Company rule, 1857, the national movement) sits in Our Pasts III or Exploring Society; a geography topic (soil, agriculture, industries, population) in Resource and Development; a civics topic (the Constitution, secularism, parliament, judiciary, law) in Social and Political Life.
- Match what the teacher called the book. The table below maps the common classroom names to the official NCERT titles.
- Never trust the chapter number alone. Always pair it with the book name — “Our Pasts III, Chapter 2”, not just “Chapter 2”.
| What the teacher said | Official NCERT title |
|---|---|
| “the history book” | Our Pasts III |
| “the geography book” | Resource and Development |
| “the civics book” | Social and Political Life |
| “the new SST book” | Exploring Society India and Beyond Part I |
Worked lookups for real chapters:
- From Trade to Territory → Our Pasts III, Chapter 2.
- Agriculture → Resource and Development, Chapter 3.
- The Indian Constitution → Social and Political Life, Chapter 1.
- Natural Resources and Their Use → Exploring Society India and Beyond Part I, Chapter 1.
| Common mix-up | Correct rule | How to check your answer |
|---|---|---|
| “Chapter 2” on its own | Four different chapters share the number | Add the book name, then confirm the chapter title |
| History searched in one book only | History spans Our Pasts III and Exploring Society | Check the chapter title against both book pages |
| Downloading from a third-party mirror | NCERT’s own PDF is the official one | Use the PDF link on the book page, on ncert.nic.in |
Holding a printed copy? Check the edition you are holding by comparing its chapter and page counts with the numbers on the book page above — if they match, it is the same edition on this page.
What each of the four books teaches and who needs it
Exploring Society India and Beyond Part I is the combined volume. It moves from natural resources and India’s changing political map through the Marathas and the colonial era to elections, parliament and factors of production. Open it when a worksheet names a chapter that is in none of the other three books — Factors of Production is the give-away example.
Our Pasts III is the dedicated history textbook. It traces how the East India Company rose from trader to ruler, the revolt of 1857, social reform, and the national movement up to 1947. Reach for it for history homework.
Resource and Development is the dedicated geography textbook. It explains resources, land and soil, agriculture, industries and human resources. Reach for it for geography homework.
Social and Political Life is the dedicated civics textbook. It covers the Constitution, secularism, parliament, judiciary, marginalisation, public facilities and social justice. Reach for it for civics homework.
More NCERT book guides on this site
This page indexes only Class 8 Social Science. For the other Class 8 subjects, see the Class 8 NCERT books hub; for every class this site indexes, start at the NCERT books directory.
Sources and data verification
- The figures on this page come from the verified chapter ledger of the four NCERT Class 8 Social Science textbooks on this page: Exploring Society India and Beyond Part I, Our Pasts III, Resource and Development and Social and Political Life.
- The index covers each book’s chapters, page ranges, numbered figures, activities and exercise questions. It does not cover CBSE’s full Class 8 scheme — optional, skill and elective subjects are not indexed — and textbook contents and the examinable syllabus are not always identical; check the current official syllabus.
- This listing is maintained for the 2026-27 academic session.
- NCERT settles textbooks, editions and official PDFs — the official catalogue at ncert.nic.in/textbook.php is the authority for verifying the current editions; CBSE settles curriculum, syllabus and examinations.
Reference: NCERT Class 8 Social Science textbooks, official editions on ncert.nic.in.
Common questions about the Class 8 SST book set
How many books does Class 8 Social Science have?
Four official NCERT textbooks: Exploring Society India and Beyond Part I (7 chapters), Our Pasts III (8 chapters), Resource and Development (5 chapters) and Social and Political Life (8 chapters) — 28 chapters in all. Whether you call it Class 8 or 8th standard, the social science textbook set is the same four books.
Which book is my chapter in?
Match the chapter title, not the number: From Trade to Territory is in Our Pasts III; Agriculture is in Resource and Development; The Indian Constitution is in Social and Political Life; Natural Resources and Their Use is in Exploring Society India and Beyond Part I. If the title fits none of those three, it is probably the combined book.
Is the Class 8 SST book PDF free and official?
Yes. NCERT publishes every textbook as a free PDF on its own site, and each book page above links them. For example, the full text of Exploring Society India and Beyond Part I, Chapter 1, Natural Resources and Their Use, is at ncert.nic.in/textbook/pdf/hees101.pdf — download it straight from NCERT, with no login and no charge.
Why are they four books instead of one combined book?
Because the subject is too wide for one volume to stay usable. NCERT prints the dedicated history, geography and civics textbooks, and the newer combined Exploring Society India and Beyond Part I for the themes that cross subject boundaries — so each book stays short enough for a term’s teaching.
Do all four books share the same chapter numbers?
No — each book numbers its own chapters from 1, so “Chapter 2” exists four times with four different meanings. Always name the book with the number: Our Pasts III, Chapter 2, not just Chapter 2.