Goa has provided rich historical and contemporary material to authors from the state, the rest of the country and from across the world. If you’re looking to update your knowledge on everything Goa, here’s a reading list of books you can pick up or order online:

History

Snapshots of Panaji (4 sets); Vasco Pinho offers a comprehensive and detailed look at the capital city. 

Goa Travels; Manohar Shetty journeys with the Portuguese travellers who documented life in the old colony.

Goa Gold, Goa Silver: Her History, Her Heritage from Earliest Times to 2019; Prajal Sakhardande’s comprehensive writings feature Goa over the years. 

Ethnography of Goa, Daman and Diu; A.B de Braganza Pereira (translated by Maria Aurora Couto) gets into the nittygritty of local life over the centuries. 

Medieval Goa: A Socio-Economic History; Teotonio D’Souza makes an attempt at getting closer to the common man’s reality in Goa. 

Memoir

Goa: a Daughter’s Story; Maria Auroro Couto presents a vivid blend of autobiography and social history.

Culture

Goa; Olivinho Gomes offers a bird’s eyeview of Goa, the land, culture and people from its origins to its liberation.

Feasts, Festivals and Observances; Maria Lourdes de Bravo da Costa Rodrigues celebrates Goa’s  spectrum of ethnic feasts and festivals. 

Moda Goa; Wendell Rodricks stitches the history of the Goan costume to define its style and place in the history of fashion. 

Traditional Occupations of Goa joins the hardworking sons of the soil on their daily chores through  various traditional professions. 

Food

Cozinha de Goa;  Fatima da Silva Gracias gets into the delicious details of Goan cuisine and traces the origins of ingredients that are an integral part of Goan food.